Israel began releasing Palestinian prisoners and detainees on Oct. 13, as part of its ceasefire deal with Hamas.
The prisoner release comes after Hamas freed all remaining Israeli hostages in keeping with the agreement on Monday afternoon. Under the accords, Israel is to release 250 Palestinian prisoners and more than 1,700 detainees.
Videos and broadcast feeds showed Palestinian prisoners on buses exiting a prison in southern Israel. Buses parked outside Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in the afternoon had thousands of Palestinians huddled around them, awaiting the release of the former prisoners and detainees inside. Some appeared to pop their heads through the bus windows to talk with the crowds below.
Live updates: Israel says all hostages from the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks have been released by Hamas
Images also showed families reuniting tearfully in the West Bank city of Ramallah, as crowds of onlookers craned to get a look at those newly released.
