10 Palestinian prisoners released in swap deal arrive in Ramallah

ISTANBUL

Israel released 10 Palestinian prisoners from the occupied West Bank on Saturday as part of the sixth batch of phase one of the prisoner exchange deal linked to the ceasefire agreement with Hamas.

The freed Palestinians arrived in Ramallah via a bus operated by the International Committee of the Red Cross, where hundreds of Palestinians gathered at the Ramallah Cultural Palace to welcome them.

The freed detainees raised victory signs and waved to the cheering crowd, though they appeared to be in poor health, according to an Anadolu correspondent.

Medical teams from the Palestinian Health Ministry and the Red Crescent did initial health exams upon their arrival.

This latest batch is part of ongoing releases under a ceasefire agreement, bringing the total number of Palestinians set for release Saturday to 369. Among them, 333 were from Gaza, most of whom were detained after Oct. 7, 2023, in addition to 36 others who had been serving life sentences.

Earlier on Saturday, Hamas' military wing the Al-Qassam Brigades and Islamic Jihad's military wing, the Al-Quds Brigades, released three Israeli captives in eastern Khan Younis, a city in southern Gaza.

A ceasefire agreement took effect in Gaza on Jan. 19, halting Israel’s genocidal war, which has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.