NINETY Palestinian women and children were freed from Israeli prisons before dawn yesterday and greeted by large crowds of jubilant relatives, friends and supporters as they returned home to the occupied West Bank.
At about 1.00am local time on Monday, Red Cross buses carrying the 90 Palestinian prisoners arrived in Ramallah in the West Bank, where they were greeted by thousands, despite warnings from the Israeli occupation forces that celebrations would not be allowed.
The freed Palestinians included 69 women and 21 teenage boys – some as young as 12 – from the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem.
Among them was Khalida Jarrar, 62, a leading member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, who had been held for six months in solitary confinement under ‘administrative detention,’ with no charge.
In Ramallah City, a crowd of people lifted many of the freed prisoners up on their shoulders in an emotional show of support, while others carried the flags of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other resistance groups, amid chanting and cheering.
On Sunday night, Israeli forces attacked hundreds of people near Ofer checkpoint and jail in the southwest of Ramallah City, awaiting the release of the prisoners.
Israeli soldiers fired tear gas canisters and rubber bullets at the Palestinians rallying near Ofer jail, injuring a number of people.
Ambulance crews provided medical assistance for seven wounded citizens outside Ofer jail, evacuating two to hospital.
The Hamas Movement congratulated the Palestinian people, the Arab and Muslim nations, and the world’s free people on the release of the 90 Palestinian women and children as part of the ceasefire agreement.
‘The scenes of our people celebrating and making victory signs upon receiving the prisoners have reflected further the popular rallying around the resistance and highlighted its solid place in their hearts,’ Hamas said in a statement yesterday.
‘The massive crowds of our people who rallied to receive the freed prisoners despite the occupation’s repressive measures were a declaration of defiance against the occupation and an expression of their thirst for freedom and the liberation of their land and holy sites.
‘The footage of the three female prisoners being handed over to the enemy showed them in full physical and psychological health, while signs of neglect and exhaustion appeared on the faces of our male and female prisoners – which reflects the great difference between the values and morals of the resistance and the barbarism and fascism of the occupation,’ Hamas underlined, adding:
‘We stand in these historic moments in reverence and appreciation for the sacrifices of our great people in Gaza and our victorious resistance.’
On Sunday morning, as the ceasefire came into effect ending 15 months of the Israeli extermination war, the Ministry of Interior and National Security in Gaza started deploying their forces across the Gaza Strip, to restore stability and discipline in addition to ensuring security, supporting citizens, aiding, and safeguarding public and private property.
The Ministry added in a press statement that its various ministry units have been working alongside other government agencies to clear roads and resume services in areas vacated by the Israeli occupation forces, particularly in the northern Gaza and Rafah governorates, which witnessed extensive destruction.
