In the West Bank city of Ramallah, there was a sparkle of happiness in the eyes of the crowd gathered on Saturday. A total of 183 Palestinians have been freed from Gaza after a fourth prisoner exchange under a ceasefire agreement with Israel. Earlier, the Palestinian militant group Hamas released three hostages.
According to Hamas and Israeli authorities, the three hostages freed were Yarden Bibas, 35, American-Israeli Keith Siegel, 65, and French-Israeli Offer Calderon, 54. The three were taken hostage along with others on the day of Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
When a bus carrying Palestinian prisoners arrived in Ramallah from Israel’s Offer prison, people there rejoiced. The freed Palestinians also returned to the town of Khan Younis in southern Gaza in three separate buses. At this time, they are seen wearing gray clothes. Thousands of people were seen cheering as they returned free.
Earlier, Hamas handed over Khan Younis and three Israeli hostages from Gaza to the international human rights organization Red Cross. The Israeli military confirmed the release of the three hostages, saying they had all returned to Israel.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, an Israeli advocacy group, welcomed the release as a “ray of light in the darkness.” “We’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time,” Calderon’s uncle Shemi told AFP. ’
A ceasefire in Gaza came into effect on January 19 in an attempt to end the 15-month-long Hamas-Israel war. This is the fourth prisoner exchange between the two sides since the ceasefire began. During this period, 18 hostages and hundreds of Palestinians have been released. Of these, 183 prisoners were released yesterday. Of these, 72 were convicted in Israeli courts. Fourteen were serving life sentences. Some 111 people were detained without trial.
Rafah border crossing open
Gaza’s key Rafah border crossing has been reopened after the prisoner exchange. Today, 50 Palestinians crossed the border to Egypt for medical treatment. This was reported by the Gaza Ministry of Health. Israel closed the border in May last year. According to Egypt’s Al-Qahera News, a child was first allowed to go for treatment after crossing the border today. Mohammad Zakut, director of the Gaza hospital, said he hoped the opening of the Rafah border would allow people to receive more medical care. He said about 6,000 patients are ready for transfer. More than 12,000 people need urgent medical attention.