Israel warns Palestinians against celebrating release of prisoners under Gaza deal

RAMALLAH, Palestine

Israeli authorities warned Palestinians on Thursday against celebrating the release of prisoners from Israeli jails under a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement with Hamas.

The warning was delivered through leaflets and images dropped by Israeli drones around Ofer Military Prison, west of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, just before Thursday’s scheduled release of 110 Palestinian prisoners.

"Anyone participating in such events risks arrest. We have warned you, and we are watching you closely,” reads one leaflet.

Despite these warnings, scores of Palestinians gathered outside Ofer Prison carrying flags while awaiting the release of prisoners.

Hamas set free three Israelis and five Thai workers early Thursday under the Gaza ceasefire agreement. Thousands of Palestinians gathered during the handover ceremony of the Israeli captives.

“The mass gatherings during the handover of Israeli prisoners in Jabalia and Khan Younis amid the ruins in northern and southern Gaza send a message to the (Israeli) occupation that the Palestinian people will remain on their land,” Hamas said in a statement.

The first six-week phase of the ceasefire agreement took effect on Jan. 19, suspending Israel’s genocidal war that has killed more than 47,400 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and injured more than 111,000 since Oct. 7, 2023.

Ten Israeli captives have so far been released in return for 290 Palestinian prisoners since the deal came into force.

Under the first phase of the deal, 33 Israeli captives are set to be released in exchange for an estimated 1,700 to 2,000 Palestinian detainees.

The Israeli onslaught on Gaza has left more than 11,000 people missing, with widespread destruction and a humanitarian crisis that has claimed the lives of many elderly people and children in one of the worst global humanitarian disasters ever.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November last year for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.