As part of a cease-fire agreement, Israel frees 90 Palestinian prisoners to secure the release of hostages.
Crowds in West Bank wave Hamas flags as buses carrying freed Palestinians pass by.
In the West Bank, 90 Palestinian prisoners were released by Israel to cheering crowds, coinciding with the return of three Israeli hostages held captive by Hamas in Gaza.
According to the Associated Press, some supporters were seen waving Hamas flags after climbing on top of the buses carrying detainees from Israel's Ofer prison, just outside the West Bank city of Ramallah. The freed prisoners were all women and teenagers who were being held on charges related to Israeli state security.
Khalida Jarrar, a released detainee and political leader, expressed a double emotion to the news agency: gratitude for the feeling of freedom and pain over the loss of Palestinian martyrs.
The 62-year-old is a prominent member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which the U.S. has designated as a terrorist organization. Jarrar has been frequently imprisoned by Israel in recent years, and Human Rights Watch has criticized her arrests as part of Israel's broader crackdown on non-violent political opposition.
As she stepped off the white Red Cross bus, Bara’a Al-Fuqha, 22, hugged her family and was met with a sea of cheering Palestinians.
An Al-Quds University medical student was arrested and spent six months in prison before being released. She revealed to the AP that she was detained under administrative detention, a practice that allows for indefinite imprisonment without formal charges or trial.
"I am grateful to be with my family, but my happiness is constrained because many Palestinians are being subjected to torture and mistreatment. Our fellow Palestinians in Gaza are enduring great suffering. I hope that, with God's help, we will be able to work towards liberating them as well."
Nearly 2,000 Israeli prisoners and detainees will be released from the West Bank and Gaza in exchange for Hamas gradually releasing 33 Israeli hostages held in Gaza over the next six weeks.
On Sunday, three hostages released by Hamas were identified as Doron Steinbrecher, 31; Romi Gonen, 24; and Emily Damari, 28.
Yitshak Kreiss, the director-general of Israel's Sheba Medical Center, stated that in the upcoming days, the individuals will undergo a series of medical tests to receive appropriate treatments following their harrowing ordeal at the hands of Hamas terrorists.
Planet Chronicle’ Louis Casiano and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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