Israel has begun freeing Palestinian prisoners on Saturday from Ofer prison in the occupied West Bank, in the latest round of releases under the ceasefire deal after Hamas earlier freed three hostages.
About 40 prisoners were on a bus that arrived in Ramallah from Ofer prison, where Israeli authorities had gathered those to be released under the hostage agreement.
Some were carried aloft by the crowds that had gathered to welcome them.
Hamas has said it expects Israel to release 183 Palestinian prisoners on Saturday as part of the ceasefire and hostage deal.
The Hamas Prisoners Media Office on Friday released a list of the names of those it expects to be released.
Eighteen of the prisoners are serving life sentences, while 111 were arrested in the Gaza Strip after October 7, 2023, the office said in a statement. The charges against the 111 were not clear.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Affairs Commission and the Palestinian Prisoner Society confirmed that a total of 183 prisoners would be released Saturday.
