Izrael uwolnił ponad sto Palestyńczyków, w tym terroryści

Hamas confirmed that the prisoners have been released and are being transported to Ramallah in the West Bank. Two buses carrying the released prisoners arrived in the city, greeted by crowds of Palestinians, as reported by AFP. The International Red Cross facilitated the exchange.

Among the released prisoners were 32 sentenced to life imprisonment and 48 to long-term sentences, as well as 30 minors, with the youngest being 15 years old. 29 of the released prisoners will be deported outside Palestinian territories because, according to the agreement, those convicted of killing Israelis cannot remain there. Additionally, 66 former prisoners will stay in the West Bank, and 15 will be in East Jerusalem.

One of the most prominent prisoners released on Thursday is Zakaria Zubeidi, a former leader of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade in Jenin. This group is considered a terrorist organization in the West. Zubeidi is seen by many Palestinians as a hero of the resistance against Israelis and the second intifada – an anti-Israeli uprising that lasted from 2000-2005. He was sentenced for organizing terrorist attacks resulting in fatalities.

Earlier on Thursday, Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad collectively released eight individuals: three Israeli hostages kidnapped on October 7, 2023, and five Thai nationals abducted at the same time. During the handover of the seven individuals to the Red Cross in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, crowds of Palestinians gathered, surrounding the captives escorted by masked militants, shouting at them.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu protested against the treatment of the hostages and temporarily halted the prisoner release. The Palestinians were only released after Israeli authorities received assurances of greater security in future exchanges.

Following the announcement of the delay in the exchange near the Ofer prison in the West Bank, where the detainees were ultimately released, clashes erupted between the gathered Palestinians and Israeli forces, as reported by CNN. The Israeli military also increased their presence in the West Bank, carried out „preventive arrests,” and dropped leaflets urging people to refrain from celebrating the return of the released individuals, as stated by the Times of Israel.

Thursday’s exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners marked the third conducted within the framework of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, in effect since January 19. The agreement stipulates that in the initial phase of the ceasefire, lasting until early March, there would be a total exchange of 33 abductees for around 1900 Palestinian prisoners. Prior to Thursday, seven female hostages were released in exchange for 290 detainees.
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