On Monday, Israel released 90 Palestinian prisoners and detainees as part of a landmark ceasefire deal, coinciding with the return of three Israeli hostages freed from Hamas captivity in Gaza. Outside Ofer Prison near Ramallah in the West Bank, Palestinians celebrated the release with fireworks, while white buses carried the detainees through the prison gates to cheering crowds.
According to the Palestinian Authority’s Commission for Prisoners’ Affairs, the released group included women and minors. They had been detained for various security-related offenses, ranging from stone-throwing to alleged attempted murder.
Among the released was Khalida Jarrar, 62, a prominent member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The PFLP, a secular leftist group, was historically known for attacks on Israel in the 1970s but has scaled down its militant activities in recent years. Jarrar had been held under administrative detention since December 2023.
Other notable releases included Dalal Khaseeb, 53, the sister of late Hamas official Saleh Arouri, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut in January 2024, and Abla Abdelrasoul, the wife of Ahmad Saadat, the imprisoned leader of the PFLP.
This release marks the first stage of a broader ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. The deal involves Hamas releasing 33 Israeli hostages held in Gaza over six weeks, while Israel agrees to free approximately 2,000 prisoners and detainees from the West Bank and Gaza.
