39 prisoners released by Israel as second phase of exchange deal

In a second phase of the exchange deal between the Palestinian factions in Gaza and the Israeli occupation, the Israeli occupation authorities released 39 Palestinian prisoners, including 6 women and 33 children, last night. The release took place from the Israeli military prison of Ofer, illegally built on Palestinian lands southwest of the town of Beitunia, west of Ramallah, and from the Russian Compound prison in occupied Jerusalem. Vehicles of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) transported several of the released prisoners from the Ofer military prison to the municipality of Al-Bireh in the occupied West Bank. Simultaneously, five women and one child were released from the Russian Compound prison, and were warmly welcomed by their families. In the city of Al-Bireh, hundreds of people gathered at the Al-Bireh Municipality square to receive the released prisoners, chanting slogans celebrating their release and calling for the release of all prisoners held in Israeli occupation prisons. T he second batch of the prisoners released under the swap deal included six women. The six are: Israa Jaabis, Fadwa Hamada, Aisha Afgani, Nurhan Awwad, Shorouq Duwayat, and Maysoun Musa. Since the early evening hours of Saturday, hundreds of citizens and relatives of the prisoners had gathered in front of the entrance to the Ofer military prison and the Al-Bireh Municipality Square to await the release of their sons and daughters from Israeli prisons. In occupied Jerusalem, Israeli occupied forces prevented the families of the released female detainees from celebrating or receiving well-wishers at home. They also obstructed the arrival of the released woman prisoners Israa al-Jaabees for several hours. Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA