Thousands in Khan Younis welcome prisoners freed in swap deal
Al-Khamisa News Network - Gaza
Thousands of residents in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip welcomed a number of Palestinian prisoners freed under a prisoner exchange deal with Israel.
The release of the first batch of prisoners comes under a ceasefire agreement brokered by Egypt and Qatar, which includes a prisoner swap and a comprehensive halt to Israeli military operations against the Strip.
Today the process began to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails as part of the prisoner exchange with Israel.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Affairs Authority said in a statement on Monday that more than 3,985 prisoners were released by Israeli authorities under three deals with the resistance during the “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood” battle.
It is expected that 1,716 Gazans will be released today at the Nasser Medical Complex in the Strip, and that 250 Palestinians who had been serving life sentences in Israeli prisons will be released to the West Bank, occupied East Jerusalem, and abroad.
The first phase of the ceasefire agreement came into effect at 12:00 p.m. on Friday, after the Israeli government approved the deal at dawn.
The agreement is based on a plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, calling for a halt to the war, a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces, reciprocal prisoner releases, and immediate entry of aid into the Strip.
This morning, the al-Qassam Brigades released 20 Israeli captives alive in two batches.
