In recent developments, buses carrying Palestinian prisoners released by Israel as part of a Gaza prisoner exchange deal have arrived in Gaza Strip and the West Bank, according to videos released by the Palestinian Hamas movement. Arab media reported that the freed prisoners were transported in buses belonging to the International Committee of the Red Cross and were welcomed by crowds of Palestinians waving their national flags. Platforms were set up in cities and villages in Gaza and the West Bank to honor them.
This list does not include two prominent doctors, Hossam Abu Safieh, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, who was arrested in December 2024 in northern Gaza, and Marwan Al-Humus, head of Rafah Hospital, who was arrested in July. The Israeli army confirmed that the 20 released hostages had reached Israeli territories, noting that the second batch of released Israeli hostages was handed over to the Red Cross.
In the same context, the Palestinian Prisoners Media Office announced: “Buses carrying freed prisoners from Ofer Prison are moving towards Beitunia in Ramallah.” Hamas emphasized in a statement the role of mediators in obliging Israel to fulfill all its commitments. The movement described the release of prisoners from Israeli jails, including those with life sentences and high sentences, as “a testament to the will of liberation in the face of the new Nazis,” as they put it.
The movement reaffirmed its dedication to the safety of the prisoners despite Israel’s attempts to target them, highlighting the continuous violations faced by Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. Palestinian resistance factions declared that “the issue of prisoners will remain a top national priority until the last prisoner is freed and the occupation is removed from Palestinian lands and holy sites.”
The statement mentioned, “According to information provided by the Red Cross, 7 hostages have been transferred to their custody and are on their way to the Israeli army and the General Security Service (Shabak) in Gaza Strip.” It added, “The Israeli army is expected to transfer them to the Red Cross later.” Elements of the “Al-Qassam Brigades” spread in Khan Younis on Monday morning in preparation for the start of the handover process of Israeli prisoners.
US President Donald Trump stated on Monday that the war in Gaza Strip has ended, noting that the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel would hold. Trump explained, “It may be a little early.” He indicated that he would be “in Gaza soon.” The first phase of the agreement came into effect last Friday afternoon, resulting from indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel, hosted in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, last week, mediated by Egypt, Qatar, the United States, and Turkey, based on a proposal by US President Donald Trump to end the war in Gaza. Hamas and Israel signed the arrangements for its first phase.
Hamas announced the withdrawal of the occupation and the entry of aid, and the exchange of prisoners. It called on the guarantor parties to oblige the Israeli government to fully implement the agreement’s obligations. Trump revealed on September 29, during a press conference at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a plan to end the ongoing war for nearly two years between Israel and Hamas in Gaza Strip.
