Families of Palestinian prisoners reunited with loved ones freed by Israel
Crowds of Palestinians — the relatives and friends of released prisoners but also scores of jubilant supporters — mobbed buses carrying the prisoners. As soon as they stepped off the buses, the crowd hoisted the prisoners in the air.
Zakaria Zubeidi — a prominent former militant leader and theater director who took part in a dramatic jailbreak in 2021 before being rearrested days later — wore a grey prison jumpsuit and flashed a victory sign from inside one of the buses.
Red Crescent medics said they would perform blood tests on the released prisoners. They didn’t know in what condition the prisoners were returning. Rights groups have described increasingly harsh conditions and treatment in Israeli jails since the Israel-Hamas war began.
The Palestinian prisoners released include 30 who were serving life sentences for deadly attacks against Israelis; seven were allowed to return to the occupied West Bank, but the rest were being transferred to Egypt before further deportation.
Source: Associated Press
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