Palestinians celebrate release of 90 prisoners and detainees held by Israel in first phase of ceasefire deal
Tears, cheers and celebrations greeted 90 Palestinian women and children released as part of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
BEITUNIA, West Bank — Tears, cheers and celebrations greeted 90 Palestinian women and children released as part of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas just after midnight on Monday.
Families and onlookers waited for hours in the cold to greet their loved before white buses transported them out of Ofer Prison, an Israeli facility in the occupied West Bank. A celebratory mood coursed through the crowd, with some families sharing food and cotton candy being sold on the street.
Children carrying balloons lit up with fairy lights ran around, while men sang around a blazing fire. Some people carried flags in support of the Hamas militant group before the prisoners, including a teenager and a political activist, were freed.
Three Israeli women — Doron Steinbrecher, 31, Emily Damari, 28, and Romi Gonen, 24 — were released Sunday, the first of the hostages held by Hamas to be freed as part of an agreement that ends the fighting in Gaza after almost 15 months of war.
Here’s what we know about the freed Palestinians.
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