Some climbed the sides of the slowly-moving buses as they weaved their way through the dense crowds gathered at Nasser Hospital, to hug or kiss a loved one they recognised.
“I spent 10 months in prison — some of the hardest days I’ve ever lived. The pain in prison isn’t only physical; it’s pain in the soul.”
Buses carried Palestinians released from Israeli detention to Khan Younis. Source: Getty / NurPhoto
Emotional scenes unfolded throughout the region on Monday, as a fragile ceasefire continued to hold and 20 hostages were returned to Israel by Hamas following two years of captivity and Israel’s devastating bombardment of Gaza.
Some of them had spent decades in prison, serving life sentences.
Those freed from Israeli prisons were greeted by crowds as they arrived. Source: AAP / Jehad Alshrafi/AP
The released detainees were taken by Red Cross buses to Khan Younis. Of the 250 prisoners who were set free, more than 150 were exiled to Egypt, according to the Associated Press.
The rest were returning to homes in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza.
A large crowd gathered to greet a group of around 100 prisoners released under the deal in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah. Source: Getty / Faiz Abu Rmeleh
‘An indescribable feeling’
Some threw victory signs while others struggled to walk without assistance as they got off the bus and were met by a crowd cheering their return.
Palestinians released by Israel from Ofer Prison under the first phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza were brought to Ramallah by Red Cross buses. Source: Getty / Issam Rimawi/Anadolu
“It’s an indescribable feeling, a new birth,” Mahdi Ramadan told AFP, flanked by his parents, with whom he said he would spend his first evening out of jail.
Nearby, relatives exchanged hugs, young men in tears pressed their foreheads against each other — some even fainting from the emotion of seeing loved ones again after years, and sometimes decades, in jail.
Throngs of people gathered to greet freed Palestinian prisoners arriving on buses outside Nasser Hospital. Source: AAP / Jehad Alshrafi/AP
Some of the newly released prisoners happily let themselves be carried away on relatives’ shoulders.
“God willing, peace will prevail, and the war on Gaza will stop,” he added. “Now I just want to live my life.”
Israeli warnings not to celebrate
“No reception is allowed, no celebration is allowed, no gatherings,” said Alaa Bani Odeh, who came from the northern town of Tammun to find his 20-year-old son who had been jailed for four years.
