Celebrations Erupt as Palestinian Prisoners Return Home

Sun Oct 19 2025 17:42:37 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

In a poignant moment of family reunions and national pride, hundreds of freed Palestinian prisoners are celebrated upon their return from Israeli custody, bringing joy and relief amid ongoing conflict.

The release of approximately 250 Palestinian prisoners and around 1,700 detainees from Gaza sparked fervent celebrations across the West Bank and Gaza. Families welcomed their loved ones with tears and joy, highlighting the emotional weight of this prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas. As reunions unfold, discussions of past experiences in Israeli prisons also emerge, revealing a struggle for justice and freedom amidst a backdrop of conflict. Analysts point to this event as part of a larger peace negotiation process following a recent ceasefire.

Hundreds of freed Palestinian prisoners and detainees have been welcomed with tears and screams of joy as they were released by Israel to be reunited with their families in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

The release involved about 250 prisoners who had been convicted of crimes including murder and deadly attacks against Israelis - and about 1,700 detainees from Gaza who had been held by Israel without charge.

As prisoners exited a Red Cross bus in Ramallah, many draped in traditional Keffiyeh scarves looked pale and gaunt, with some struggling to walk. They were freed as part of an exchange in which 20 Israeli hostages, and the remains of some deceased hostages, were released by Hamas.

He is ready to embrace freedom, said Amro Abdullah, 24, who was waiting for his cousin Rashid Omar, 48, who was arrested in July 2005 and sentenced to life in prison by an Israeli court after being found guilty of murder and other crimes. I want peace, Mr Abdullah said. I want to live a happy life, safe and peaceful, without occupation and without restrictions.

About 100 prisoners were released into the West Bank, with many others set to be deported and a small number freed into East Jerusalem.

In Gaza, families gathered at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in the hope of being reunited with their loved ones. This is a very beautiful feeling - happy, a day of joy, said Muhammad Hasan Saeed Dawood, 50, who was there to collect his son, arrested by Israeli forces at a checkpoint. We call it a national holiday, that our detainees are being released despite the cost of the war, the martyrs, the injured, and the destruction in Gaza.

Multiple medics and family members reported that the released prisoners had faced beatings prior to their release, with claims of inadequate food and mistreatment in Israeli prisons. Today gives us hope that there will always be an inevitable freedom, no matter the circumstances, added Aya Shreiteh from the Palestinian Prisoners Club.

The hostage and prisoner exchange is seen as part of Donald Trump's peace plan aimed at ending the ongoing conflict in Gaza, which has taken a severe toll on both Palestinians and Israelis.