Over 90 Palestinian Prisoners Freed as Gaza Ceasefire Holds

Under the ongoing ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, the Israeli prison service has confirmed the release of 90 Palestinian prisoners. This marks the first phase of a delicate prisoner exchange deal that also saw three Israeli hostages released by Hamas on Sunday.

According to Hamas, the freed Palestinians include 69 women and 21 teenage boys from the West Bank and Jerusalem. Many of them were recently detained and not formally tried or convicted, Reuters reported. Among those released is Khalida Jarrar, a prominent Palestinian politician and leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Jarrar, who has been repeatedly detained over the past decade, is a controversial figure associated with a group designated as a “terrorist organisation” by Israel, the United States, and the European Union.

“The lawyers told them the (ceasefire) deal had been announced and was in the implementation phase,” Bushra al-Tawil, a Palestinian journalist, who was taken prisoner in March 2024, and is one of the first Palestinian prisoners to be released told AFP news agency.

“The wait was extremely hard. But thank God, we were certain that at any moment we would be released,” she said.

The release of the three Israeli hostages earlier in Gaza was equally momentous. Hamas handed over Doron Steinbrecher (31), dual British-Israeli citizen Emily Damari (28), and Romi Gonen (24) to the Red Cross in Gaza City before their transfer to the Israeli military. The three women, now receiving care at a Tel Aviv hospital, are in stable condition.

Hamas has pledged to release one hostage for every 30 Palestinian prisoners freed. Over the initial phase of the truce, Israel is expected to release approximately 1,900 Palestinian detainees, while Hamas plans to release 33 Israeli hostages. It is not certain if all the prisoners expected to be released are alive or in the custody of Hamas.

Ceasefire Agreement and Humanitarian Challenges

The ceasefire came into effect on Sunday after a last-minute delay. It followed weeks of intense negotiations mediated by international players. This truce aims to provide a temporary respite from the catastrophic war that erupted on October 7, when Hamas launched a large-scale attack on Israel, killing more than 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and taking over 200 hostages. In response, Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has claimed over 46,000 Palestinian lives, according to Hamas-run authorities, with entire neighborhoods flattened and infrastructure reduced to rubble.

World leaders and organisations have cautiously welcomed the ceasefire. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), called the prisoner exchanges a “moment of great hope for millions of people whose lives have been ravaged by the conflict.” However, he cautioned that “addressing the massive health needs and restoring the health system in Gaza will be a complex and challenging task, given the scale of destruction, operational complexity, and constraints involved.”

Tom Fletcher, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, emphasised the urgency of rebuilding efforts.

“More than 630 trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered Gaza on Sunday, with at least 300 of them headed towards the north of the strip,” he said. Fletcher added, “This is a moment of tremendous hope—fragile, yet vital—as we continue to navigate the complexities of the days and weeks ahead.”

War’s Toll and Path to Peace

The war’s toll is staggering. Gaza’s health system, already strained before the conflict, has been pushed to the brink, with hospitals overwhelmed and essential services crippled. Civilians returning to their homes in Gaza face scenes of devastation, with many left homeless and reliant on aid. The exchange of prisoners and hostages has brought a glimmer of hope, but the underlying tensions that fueled the conflict remain unresolved.

As the ceasefire progresses, the international community faces immense challenges in addressing the humanitarian crisis and paving the way for a sustainable peace in the region.