A bus carrying Palestinian detainees released by Israel under the Gaza ceasefire deal arrived in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah on Saturday, where a cheering crowd gathered to welcome them, AFP reports.
The freed prisoners, wearing traditional keffiyeh scarves, were lifted onto supporters’ shoulders before embracing relatives and heading for health checkups. Many in the crowd waved yellow Fatah flags, while one prisoner kissed a baby upon stepping off the bus.
Israel’s Prison Service confirmed the release of 369 prisoners from Ofer and Kziot prisons, having transferred them from multiple detention facilities across the country.
Among those freed was Amir Abu Radaha, who had spent nearly 32 years in jail. “I’ve returned to my family, and I’ve been born again,” he told AFP from his home in the Al-Amari refugee camp near Ramallah.
Unlike previous releases, the prisoners wore jackets instead of their usual prison attire. However, images broadcast earlier showed detainees wearing sweatshirts bearing the Israeli Prison Service logo, a Star of David, and the slogan, “We do not forget and we do not forgive.”
Hamas condemned the slogan as racist and a violation of humanitarian laws.
Meanwhile, Israeli commentators criticised the move, with one calling it “idiotic” and comparing it to Hamas’s “grotesque gestures” during hostage releases.
The latest swap, part of a ceasefire deal that halted over 15 months of conflict, saw three Israeli captives freed in exchange for the Palestinian detainees.
Israel had warned Hamas that it must release three living hostages this weekend or face a resumption of military action.
