West Bank, Beitunia Just after midnight on Monday, 90 Palestinian women and children who had been freed as part of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas were met with tears, applause, and joy.
The loved ones were taken out of Ofer Prison, an Israeli institution in the occupied West Bank, by white buses after families and bystanders waited for hours in the cold to see them.With some families sharing food and cotton candy being served on the street, there was a festive vibe to the audience.
While men sang around a burning fire, children ran around holding balloons illuminated by fairy lights. Before the inmates, including a teenager and a political activist, were released, several individuals were observed holding flags in support of the Hamas militant group.
As part of a deal that ends the fighting in Gaza after nearly 15 months of war, three Israeli women—Doron Steinbrecher, 31, Emily Damari, 28, and Romi Gonen, 24—were released on Sunday, making them the first captives held by Hamas to be released.
What we know about the liberated Palestinians is as follows.
In a voicemail to NBC News shortly after her sister Jeneen Amro’s release, 21-year-old Boshara Amro said her emotions were beyond words.
Amro, 21, remarked, “She’s my big sister.” Her warmth and everything she does make her feel like a mother to me.
She said that she was unable to visit Jeneen, 23, in prison at that time and had no communication with her. Amro stated that she experiences joy, happiness, and pleasure as a result of her freedom. However, she went on to say that her sister’s extremely poor mental health, particularly the physical and mental trauma she endured, horrified her family.
She claimed that her sister was in shock as a result of her incarceration.
Amro claimed that her family had not been informed of Jeneen’s detention in their hometown of Hebron, in the West Bank, before her sister was freed. The Israeli military and the nation’s jail service have been questioned by NBC News about her arrest.
According to a list Hamas sent The Associated Press, 15-year-old Mahmoud Aliowat was the youngest captive to be freed. The location and duration of his detention are unknown.
Khalida Jarrar, 62, a prominent figure in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which the United States designated a terrorist organization in 1997 and 2001, was also included on the list. It was also charged by the Treasury Department of taking part in the assaults against Israel on October 7, 2023.
A number of individuals assisted Jarrar in walking through the applauding audience, and numerous social media users noted that her once-dark hair had turned gray while she was in detention. Others said the former congressman appeared worn out.
Human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have argued that Israeli authorities have targeted Jarrar for her political activity since she has been a vocal opponent of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian areas.
Indefinitely renewable administrative detention, a widely condemned practice in which Israel detains detainees indefinitely without trial or other legal proceedings based on evidence not disclosed to the detainee or their families, has been in place since Jarrar was arrested at her home in the West Bank city of Ramallah in late 2023.
Dalal Khaseeb, 53, was also included by the AP, which stated that she is the sister of Saleh Arouri, the deputy chairman of Hamas’ political bureau and the former commander of the group’s armed wing in the West Bank. In January, a drone strike targeted his home in a southern Beirut suburb, killing him along with six other members of the group.
She was arrested a year ago, according to her son Muhammad Khaseeb from Ramallah, who spoke to the Middle East Eye website.
What next?
At least 33 hostages will be freed from Gaza within the next six weeks as part of the 42-day first phase of the three-part ceasefire agreement, which was first announced on Wednesday. In return, there will be a halt in fighting, the release of almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, and more fuel and aid deliveries into the enclave.
1,167 Palestinians who were imprisoned in Gaza during the conflict but did not take part in the October 7 attacks are among those scheduled for release.
When NBC News requested the Israel Prison Service to explain the charges and sentences of the 90 inmates released on Monday, a representative for the service did not immediately answer, describing all of them as terrorists.
It’s unclear what will happen following the first part of the deal. According to Israeli estimates, the war started with Hamas’ catastrophic Oct. 7 raid on Israel, in which 1,200 people were murdered and about 250 were held hostage. The agreement’s later stages call for the release of additional hostages and inmates as well as a permanent end to the conflict.
Following the attacks, Israel launched a 15-month offensive in Gaza that has killed over 46,800 people, according to Gaza health officials.
In anticipation of the release of prisoners and detainees, the Israeli military said on Sunday that it would be stepping up operations in the West Bank. Troops are anticipated to be positioned along strategic roads where more checkpoints would be set up.
According to the statement, this was done in an attempt to stop violent protests and terrorist attacks.
Concerns have been raised by some Palestinians regarding the military operations in the region, which coincide with an increase in violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza War.