First batch of 90 Palestinian prisoners released in captive-detainee swap under Gaza ceasefire deal

Ahram Online , Monday 20 Jan 2025

The first batch of 90 Palestinian prisoners to be released as part of the captive-prisoner swap under the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas were freed late in the night from the Ofer prison in the occupied West Bank.

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Palestinian freed prisoners wave to the crowd from a Red Cross bus that drove them out of the Israeli Ofer military prison in the occupied West Bank, as they arrive in Beitunia, on the outskirts of Ramallah, in the early hours of January 20, 2025. AP

 

Those released include 69 women and 21 boys.

The released prisoners include 48 who hail from the West Bank and 42 who hail from East Jerusalem.

The Israeli prison service said it would release the freed prisoners to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

According to the Associated Press, among the 90 Palestinians is 15-year-old Mahmoud Aliowat, the youngest of the prisoners.

Most prominent among the 69 women released are:

  •  Khalida Jarrar, 62, a leading member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). New York-based Human Rights Watch said her repeated arrests are part of Israel's broader crackdown on non-violent political opposition.
  • Dalal Khaseeb, 53, the sister of former Hamas second-in-command Saleh Arouri. Arouri was killed in an Israeli strike in a southern Beirut suburb in January 2024.
  • Abla Abdelrasoul, 68, the wife of detained PFLP leader Ahmad Saadat. Saadat is serving a 30-year sentence in Israeli jails.

The list of released female prisoners further includes Walaa Khaled Fawzi Tanji, Nawal Muhammad Mahmoud Abdul Fatiha, Rawda Musa Abdul Qader Abu Ajamiya, Aseel Osama Omar Shahada, Tamara Muammar Hussein Abu Laban, Nafisa Rashid Farid Zorba, Yasmine Abdul Rahman Rashid Abu Surur, Jenin Muhammad Taha Amr, Fatima Nimr Muhammad Rimawi, Zahra Wahib Abdul Fattah Khadraj, Fatima Muhammad Suleiman Saqr, Mona Ahmed Qasim Abu Hussein, Bushra Jamal Muhammad Tawil, Raeda Janem Muhammad Abdul Majid, Rana Gamal Mohamed Eid, Marjana Mohamed Mustafa Harish, Halima Fayeq Suleiman Abu Amara, Roula Ibrahim Abdel Rahim Hassanein, Balqis Issa Ali Zawahra, Doha Azzam Ahmed Al-Wahsh, Shaima Mohamed Abdel Jalil Rawajbeh, Salwa Attia Mahmoud Hamdan, Fatima Yousef Ali Al-Farakhna, Rose Yousef Mohamed Khuwais, Hanin Akram Mahmoud Al-Masaeed, Jihad Ghazi Ahmed Jodeh, Nidaa Ali Ahmed Zaghbi, Amal Ziad Omar Shujaiya, Ayat Yousef Saleh Mahfouz, Ala Mahmoud Qasim Jodeh, Lubna Mazen Salim Talalwa, Hadeel Mohamed Hussein Hijaz, Rasha Ghassan Mohamed Hijawi, Wafaa Ahmed Abdullah Nimr, Zeina Majd Abdel Rahim Barbar, Nahil Kamal Mustafa Masalma, Tahani Gamal Abdel Ashour, Aya Omar Yousef Ramadan, Shaima Omar Youssef Ramadan, Israa Hadr Ahmed Ghneimat, Donia Ishtia Marouf Ishtia, Alaa Jad Allah Nabhan Qadi, Khatam Arif Hassan Khabayba, Alaa Samir Harb Abu Rahima, Aseel Mohammed Jamal Eid, Shaza Nawaf Abdul Jaber Jarabaa, Baraa Hatem Hafez Faqha, Saja Imad Saad Draghmeh, Dania Saqr Mohammed Hanatsheh, Raghad Walid Mahmoud Amr, Raghad Khader Deeb Mubarak, Al-Yamama Ibrahim Hassan Al-Harinat, Ashwaq Mohammed Ayyad Awad, Hanan Ammar Bilal Maalwani, Iman Ibrahim Ahmed Zaid, Saja Zuhair Mohammed Al-Maadi, Israr Abdul Fattah Mohammed Al-Lahham, Maysar Mohammed Saeed Al-Faqih, Abeer Mohammed Hamdan Baara, Samah Bilal Abdul Rahman Souf, Latifa Khaled Ramadan Radiant, Margaret Mohamed Mahmoud Al-Raei, Alaa Khaled Mohamed Saqr, Israa Mustafa Mohamed Bri, Lana Farouk Naeem Fawaleha, and Tahrir Badran Badr Jaber.

 

 

In addition to the women, Israel released 21 Palestinian boys (minors).

These include Fahmy Mohamed Fahmy Faroukh, Ahmed Walid Mohamed Khashan, Jamal Ibrahim Salama Al-Atemin, Ahmed Bashar Jumaa Abu Alia, Mohamed Annan Fawzi Bashkar, Ibrahim Sultan Ibrahim Zamar, Abdul Rahman Amjad Jamil Khadir, Moad Omar Abdullah Al-Hajj, Issam Mamoun Mohamed Abu Diab, Thaer Ayoub Rashid Abu Sarah, Qasim Iyad Mohamed Jaafari, Yousef Jamal Ayyad Al-Harimi, Saeed Mazid Said Salim, Mahmoud Mohamed Dawood Aliwat, Firas Jihad Ahmed Al-Maqdisi, Abdul Aziz Mohamed Abdel Aziz Atawneh, Fadi Bassam Mohamed Hindi, Osama Nasser Gebran Abdo Ataya, Ayham Ali Issa Jaradat, Adam Khalil Ibrahim Hadra, and Laith Muhammad Naji Kamil.

The uncle of 17-year-old Palestinian prisoner Qassem Jaafra kisses his forehead upon his arrival home in the Silwan neighbourhood in east Jerusalem. AFP

 

Despite the release of Israeli captives from Gaza earlier on Sunday, the long-awaited homecoming of these Palestinian women and minors has been delayed for over seven hours.

Israeli authorities have also raided the homes of the prisoners and confiscated Palestinian flags and symbols. Furthermore, authorities have issued warnings against public gatherings and celebrations, effectively preventing any "public displays of joy."

Israeli forces used tear gas to disperse Palestinians who had gathered peacefully since 03:00 pm (13:00 GMT) outside Ofer Prison to await the release of their loved ones.

Despite the Israeli restrictions, the Palestinians celebrated the release of the prisoners as buses passed by in the occupied West Bank. 

Crowds cheered, chanted and honked car horns as two buses arrived in the town of Beitunia early on Monday.

 

 

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