Israel begins to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners
People embrace and react as Palestinian prisoners arrive on a bus after they were released from an Israeli jail as part of a hostages-prisoners swap and a ceasefire deal in Gaza between Hamas and Israel, in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on February 27, 2025.
Israeli authorities on Thursday began releasing more than 600 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails as part of the Gaza ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, according to Palestinian sources.
Palestinian sources told Xinhua that buses carrying the prisoners departed from Ofer Prison in the central West Bank, heading toward a reception center in the Beitunia area.
The Hamas-linked Prisoners' Information Office said that the seventh and eighth batches of prisoner releases were merged, bringing the total number to 642.
This release is part of the first phase of the deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar, with support from the United States. Hamas described this release as the largest so far under the ceasefire arrangement.
"We are witnessing one of the achievements of the Palestinian people with the release of the seventh and eighth batches of prisoners, which is the largest so far within the ceasefire agreement arrangements," Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said in a press statement.
He added that Hamas prioritizes the release of Palestinian prisoners in any exchange deal. He also noted that the group had responded to mediators' requests regarding new mechanisms for exchanging bodies, ensuring Israel's commitment to the process.
On Tuesday, Hamas announced it had resolved a dispute over the delayed release of Palestinian prisoners, which was originally scheduled for last Saturday. The resolution followed talks between a Hamas delegation and Egyptian officials in Cairo.
The delay occurred after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded assurances from mediators that there would be no repeat of what he described as "provocative military parades" organized by Hamas during previous handover operations, which he considered "insulting to the rights of Israeli hostages."
