90 Palestinians Freed from Israeli Jails

At about 1 am local time on Monday (23:00 GMT), Red Cross buses carrying the 90 Palestinian prisoners arrived in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, where they were greeted by crowds of thousands despite meaningless warnings from Israeli forces that celebrations would not be allowed, according to Al Jazeera.

The freed Palestinians included 69 women and 21 teenage boys – some as young as 12 – from the occupied West Bank and al-Quds.

In the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, crowds lifted many of the returned prisoners up onto their shoulders in an emotional show of support, as others shouted and whistled. Some attending the gathering carried the flags of Fatah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and other Resistance groups.

Seven hours earlier, three Israeli women prisoners in their mid-20s to early 30s were released in Gaza.

The exact number of Palestinians due to be released as part of the ceasefire deal is still unknown, with reported estimates ranging from approximately 1,000 to nearly 2,000.

In the first phase of the deal, Hamas is expected to return a total of 33 Israeli prisoners over the next 42 days – with the next release due on Saturday.

The second phase of ceasefire negotiations is due to begin in two weeks.

More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began on October 7, and nearly 90 percent of Gaza’s population has been forcibly displaced by Israeli evacuation orders and attacks.