A total of 200 Palestinian prisoners have been released to jubilant scenes in the West Bank after Israel freed them in exchange for four female hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
More than half of the 200 released were serving life sentences in Israeli prisons – some convicted of multiple murders, including the killing of Israeli civilians. Others have never been charged with a crime.
About 70 of the most serious offenders were deported via Egypt to neighboring countries, including Qatar and Turkey.
A smaller number will be sent to Gaza. The rest – just over 120 – will be allowed to return to their homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
“Following the completion of the necessary activities in the prisons and the approval of the political authorities, all terrorists were released from Ofer and Ktziot prisons,” Israel's prison services said in a statement.
Some of the freed prisoners were hoisted aloft by crowds to loud cheers and fireworks after they got off the buses.
There was then a struggle as they tried to find their loved ones and family members before being taken to a sports complex where the celebrations continued.
“Thank God! It's a great feeling, I can't describe this feeling! I've been in prison for six years and two months,” said inmate Baker Kvaauish after getting off one of the buses dressed in gray prisoners.
The youngest Palestinian prisoner released on Saturday was 16 years old. The oldest, Mohammed Al-Toss, was 69 years old. He had spent 39 years in prison after he was first arrested in 1985 while fighting with Israeli forces.
Another inmate, Mohammed al-Arda, was part of a high-profile jailbreak in 2021.
A total of 121 of the released prisoners were serving life sentences.
Some of the prisoners were held for short periods of time, and some were never charged with a crime but were held under something called administrative detention.
Saturday's amount was the second swap since a January 19 waiver went into effect. Three hostages and 90 Palestinian prisoners were released in the first swap.
There was a notable show of support for Hamas during last week's prisoner release, but on Saturday Fatah, the West Bank's ruling party that dominates the Palestinian Authority (PA), came out in force to show its support for the prisoners.
Earlier on Saturday, Four female Israeli soldiers taken hostage by Hamas on October 7, 2023, have been released from Gaza.
Karina Ariev, Daniela Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albagh, all between the ages of 19 and 20, were released to the Red Cross in Gaza City during a highly choreographed broadcast involving dozens of Hamas gunners.
However, Israel accused Hamas of violating the terms of the ceasefire because the female civilian hostage Arbel Yehud was not included in Saturday's version.
Israel said it would delay the planned return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza, while Hamas insisted the hostage would be released next weekend.
A cease-fire deal in January halted the war, which began when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. About 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken back to Gaza as hostages.
More than 47,200 Palestinians, the majority civilians, have been killed in Israel's offensive, Gaza's health ministry says.