Hosni Nedim
26 January 2025•Update: 26 January 2025
GAZA CITY, Palestine
A senior Hamas leader has called the release of Palestinians held by Israel a “historic victory” for the Palestinian people and resistance factions.
A second batch of 200 Palestinians were set free on Saturday in exchange for four Israeli soldiers released by Hamas under a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.
Some 70 prisoners of the freed detainees were deported to Egypt after their release from Israeli detention.
The releases came a week after 90 prisoners were freed by Israel on Jan. 19 in exchange for three Israeli captives.
This deal is “not just a round, but a bright stage in a struggle that proves the Palestinian people are able to wrest their rights from the clutches of the Israeli occupation,” a Hamas statement quoted Zaher Jabarin as saying during a meeting with the deported Palestinians.
"This achievement is a step towards complete freedom for our people, and our resolve will remain stronger than the restrictions and injustice of the occupation,” he added.
The first six-week phase of a Gaza ceasefire agreement took effect on Jan. 19, suspending Israel’s genocidal war that has killed more than 47,300 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured more than 111,400 since Oct. 7, 2023.
The three-phase ceasefire agreement includes a prisoner exchange and sustained calm, aiming for a permanent truce and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
The Israeli onslaught has left more than 11,000 people missing, with widespread destruction and a humanitarian crisis that has claimed the lives of untold numbers of elderly people, women, and children.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants last November 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.
*Writing by Betul Yilmaz
