Thousands of Palestinians chanted praise of Hamas on Saturday as they welcomed prisoners freed under a ceasefire deal between the terrorist group and Israel that saw four Israeli hostages also return home.
In Ramallah, a city in the West Bank, many carried freed detainees on their shoulders through jubilant crowds that had waited hours for the buses carrying the prisoners to arrive.
Some waved Palestinian flags or the flags of Palestinian terror groups including Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Fatah movement of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Inside Gaza European Hospital in the south of the enclave, where 16 freed detainees arrived for medical checks, thousands flocked in to welcome them, chanting Allahu Akbar “God is greatest” and “Greeting to Qassam Brigades (Hamas armed wing).”
Ikhlas Balousha, a Gazan woman, said her brother’s release had brought happiness despite what she called the destruction, suffering, starvation, and genocide experienced in the enclave.
“A feeling of dignity, joy, a feeling of victory despite the pain – a moment when you could have been a martyr, but praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds, who allowed us to see him,” she told Reuters.
The 200 Palestinians freed on Saturday include terrorists, some serving life sentences for involvement in attacks that killed dozens of people, according to a list published by Hamas.
Gazans wait to go north
Some were released in the West Bank, while others returned to Gaza. Those considered the most dangerous by Israel were taken to Egypt before being exiled to a third country.
“I had no doubt that I would be liberated one day. I was confident of that,” said Mohammad Al-Arda, sentenced to life imprisonment plus 15 years over his membership in Islamic Jihad. He was recaptured in 2021 after digging his way out of jail through an improvised tunnel with three other inmates.
“We were in solitary confinement, under pressure and pain. I swear to God that when I saw the happiness of my people, I became happy too, a happiness that words can’t describe,” he said after returning to Ramallah.
Israel says those convicted of killing Israelis will not be permitted to return to their homes. Around 70 terrorists will be deported to Egypt, Palestinian officials said, and from there to another country, possibly Turkey, Qatar, or Algeria. Palestinians call the released prisoners “heroes” and “freedom fighters.”
Naser Dawoud, a Hamas terrorist who spent 21 years in prison serving two life sentences for taking part in attacks on Israel, said he couldn’t believe his name was among those to be freed.
“I am a human being and was sentenced for life; I didn’t expect this to happen; there were some efforts before, but this time God blessed us,” he told Reuters.
In the Gaza Strip, medics at the European Gaza Hospital in Khan Younis started checking the health of the newly released prisoners.
In a statement after the release of the Israeli hostages, Hamas said it had preserved the well-being of the hostages while “the enemy tried to kill them (Palestinian prisoners).”
The four released IDF soldiers, Naama Levy, Daniella Gilboa, Liri Albag, and Karina Ariev, were released to Israel on Saturday. They have reunited with their families and will receive medical treatment for roughly a week, depending on their needs.
Some freed prisoners from northern Gaza will have to stay in the south of the enclave for some time until Israel allows hundreds of thousands of northern Gaza residents to return home under the terms of the ceasefire deal.
Hamas said that it was expecting Israel to honor the agreement by immediately pulling forces from roads dividing the north and south of the enclave to allow around 650,000 people to return to their homes in the northern areas.
Israel previously said that Hamas was not honoring the ceasefire because it did not release Israeli civilian Arbel Yehoud on Saturday.
“In accordance with the agreement, Israel will not allow Gazans to cross into the northern Gaza Strip – until the release of civilian Arbel Yehoud, who was supposed to be released today, is arranged,” the Prime Minister’s office said in a statement.
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