Who Are the Palestinian Prisoners Freed by Israel?
Palestinians celebrate the release of 90 prisoners, including 69 women, many of whom were detained without charge.
The West Bank erupted in celebrations after the release of 90 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, most of them women, as part of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. Families eagerly awaited the return of their loved ones, many of whom had been detained without charge.
The ceasefire, which brought an end to Israel's 15-month war in Gaza, also saw the release of three Israeli captives, with more prisoners expected to be freed in the coming weeks. Here’s what we know about the Palestinian prisoners who were released:
Who Are Some of the Prominent Palestinians Released?
The 90 prisoners, including 69 women and 21 children, were released on Monday around 1 am (23:00 GMT Sunday). They were transferred to the West Bank city of Ramallah in Red Cross buses.
Only eight of the 90 prisoners had been arrested prior to the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel, which killed over 1,100 people and triggered Israel’s war on Gaza. The conflict led to over 47,000 Palestinian deaths, while more than 7,000 were detained across the West Bank.
Khalida Jarrar, a leader of the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and a prominent feminist activist, was among those freed. Jarrar, who has been detained by Israel since 2015 for her advocacy of Palestinian prisoner rights, has served multiple prison terms. She was arrested most recently on December 26, 2023, and is known for her leadership in promoting women's empowerment in the West Bank.
Journalist Rula Hassanein, an editor at the Ramallah-based Wattan Media Network, was also released. Hassanein, who had been detained on March 19, was charged with incitement on social media for expressing frustration over the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza.
How Many More Prisoners Will Be Released?
The three-phase ceasefire is set to last for 42 days. During this period, Israel will release up to 1,900 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 33 Israeli captives, including civilians, soldiers, children, and elderly citizens.
As of now, three Israeli captives—Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher—were released from Gaza, though it is unclear how many other captives remain in the region.
How Many Palestinians Are in Israeli Prisons?
Before the release of the 90 prisoners, approximately 10,400 Palestinians were held in Israeli prisons, excluding those detained in Gaza during the recent conflict. Many of the prisoners have been placed under administrative detention, a practice used by Israel to hold individuals without charges.
Conditions in Israeli prisons have long been a point of contention, with numerous reports of mistreatment, torture, and poor living conditions for Palestinian detainees. Despite the release of the prisoners, experts have warned that conditions inside Israeli prisons remain harsh, with the objective being to break the spirit of Palestinian prisoners.
As Basil Farraj, an assistant professor at Birzeit University, stated, the situation highlights the brutal nature of the carceral regime faced by Palestinian detainees. Families of those released expressed relief but also sadness for those still incarcerated.