KHAN YUNIS: Monday was a red letter day for hundreds of Palestinian and Israeli families, as around 2,000 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel was released, while all 20 living Israeli prisoners held in Gaza were also freed.

In addition, bodies of four Israeli hostages who died in captivity in Gaza were handed over to the Red Cross by Hamas.

However, at least 154 Palestinian prisoners who were freed on Monday will be forced into exile by Israel, a move that families say has turned their long-awaited freedom ‘bittersweet’, Al Jazeera reported.

In Khan Yunis, thousands of people erupted with joy as Red Cross buses brought back nearly 1,700 former prisoners.

Some climbed the sides of the slowly-moving buses as they weaved their way through the dense crowds gathered at Nasser Hospital, to hug or kiss a loved one they recognised.

“The greatest joy is seeing my whole family gathered to welcome me,” Yusef Afana, a 25-year-old released prisoner from north Gaza, told AFP. “I spent 10 months in prison – some of the hardest days I’ve ever lived.

At Nasser Hospital, men in military fatigues and black balaclavas struggled to keep order as the prisoners wearing the Israel Prison Service’s grey jumpsuits came off the buses.

Patriotic music blared on speakers, while Palestinian flags flew alongside those of Hamas or the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

Shadi Abu Sidu, a 32-year-old from Gaza City’s Rimal neighbourhood, said that he and other prisoners were mistreated in jail. “Even right before our release, they continued to mistreat and humiliate us,” he told AFP.

“But now, we hope to erase those painful memories and begin life anew.”

Some of the newly released prisoners happily let themselves be carried away on relatives’ shoulders. Among the Palestinians released under a US-brokered Gaza ceasefire deal, about 1,700 were detained by the Israeli army in Gaza during the war, while 250 are security detainees.

Israel agreed to free them in exchange for the release of prisoners held in Gaza, under the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war on Gaza.

In the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah too, a large crowd had gathered to greet another group of roughly 100 prisoners released under the deal. According to NPR, celebrations in the West Bank occurred despite Israeli warnings against doing so. A flier circulated saying anyone supporting what it called “terrorist organisations” risked arrest. Crowds that gathered on hills overlooking Ofer Prison were met with tear gas and rubber bullets. As Israeli armoured vehicles drove up and fired at the crowd, and drones buzzed overhead, the multitudes were forced to scatter.

“No reception is allowed, no celebration is allowed, no gatherings,” said Alaa Bani Odeh, who came from the northern town of Tammun to find his 20-year-old son.

Israeli prisoners, bodies returned

Freed Israeli prisoners, wrapped in their country’s flag, were also welcomed by friends and family members after the end of their two-year captivity.

On Monday, Hamas released all 20 living prisoners held in Gaza, as well as the bodies of four deceased captives. However, recovering the remains of another 22 Israeli hostages believed to have died remain a challenge. Video footage captured emotional scenes of families receiving phone messages from their loved ones.

Deported

But there was still anguish among the families of around 250 Palestinians, who were set to be deported to third countries. There are no details yet about where the freed Palestinians will be sent, but in a previous prisoner release, detainees were deported to Tunisia, Algeria and Turkiye, Al Jazeera reported.

Published in Dawn, October 14th, 2025