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Palestinians await release of 90 prisoners as Israel restricts celebrations

Israel enforces strict controls to prevent public celebrations and gatherings ahead of children and women releases 
Scenes outside Ofer military prison ahead of the release of Palestinian prisoners being exchanged for captives in Gaza, near Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on 19 January 2025 (Reuters/Sinan Abu Mayzer)
Scenes outside Ofer military prison ahead of the release of Palestinian prisoners being exchanged for captives in Gaza, near Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on 19 January 2025 (Reuters/Sinan Abu Mayzer)
By Fayha Shalash in Ramallah, occupied Palestine

Palestinians are eagerly awaiting the release of 90 prisoners from Israeli jails following Hamas’ handover of three Israeli female captives in Gaza. 

The list of Palestinians to be freed includes women and children who have been held in Ofer prison, located west of Ramallah.

Muhammad al-Khasib from Ramallah, son of prisoner Dalal al-Khasib, 53, told Middle East Eye that his family were eagerly awaiting his mother’s release.

From a hill overlooking Ofer prison, he explained that the Israeli army prevented anyone from gathering at the prison’s courtyard, firing tear gas at anyone who approached.

“My mother was arrested a year ago and is still in detention without a sentence. The Israeli prosecution demanded that she be imprisoned for 55 months, but today she will come out with the exchange deal and this nightmare will end,” he said.

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Khasib said that he expected the prisoner release to be late at night, but that did not matter to families who had waited months or years. 

Under the first phase of the prisoner exchange deal, each female Israeli civilian captive will be exchanged for 30 Palestinian women and children.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) has received the names of the 90 Palestinian prisoners to be released today. Of these, 78 are from the occupied West Bank and 12 are from Jerusalem.

Their names have not yet been released.

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However, Al Jazeera said it obtained information confirming that Sunday’s releases will include Khalida Jarrar, one of the most prominent leaders of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). 

Jarrar, a Palestinian political leader and human rights and feminist advocate, has been held in administrative detention since December 2023. She has reportedly spent the past six months in solitary confinement in a 2-by-1.5m cell. 

Jarrar's sister, Salam Alratrot, previously told Middle East Eye that the prospect of the 61-year-old's release gave her hope that Jarrar would at least leave solitary confinement and end the harshest imprisonment she has ever endured.

However, Alratrot said her family feels “intense sadness and diminished joy” over the many tragedies Jarrar has suffered during her numerous periods of detention over the past three decades.

“Our tragedies are many, and there is no joy that makes us happy. But we are strong and the Israeli occupation cannot break us,” Alratrot told MEE.

“Our joy is not complete unless all of the prisoners are released.”

'We will wait until morning'

Khasib said that nothing he and his family endured could be compared to the suffering of those in Gaza, “not even the smallest child among them whose hand or leg was amputated”. 

“We will not fulfill what they gave for the sake of the prisoners,” he said. 

'We will not fulfill what Gaza gave for the sake of the prisoners' 

- Muhammad al-Khasib, son of prisoner

His cousin, Muhammad Saqr, was waiting with him near Ofer prison. He is the son of prisoner Fatima Khasib, Dalal’s sister. 

Dalal and Fatima are the sisters of the deputy head of the Hamas political bureau, Saleh Al-Arouri, who was assassinated by Israel in Lebanon a year ago. 

Alaa, 20, Fatima’s daughter, is also a prisoner and is scheduled to be released on Sunday. She was arrested a month and a half ago near the entrance of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem.

"No matter how late the release is, we will continue to wait until the morning. This is a mountain that was perched on our chests and will be removed as soon as we see the female prisoners enjoying their freedom," Saqr said.

Strict measures against celebrations 

Unlike previous prisoner exchanges, the Israeli army has imposed strict security measures to prevent public gatherings outside the prison. 

Palestinians have been warned not to gather near the prison yard or approach in their vehicles, with successive warnings issued to keep the area clear. 

Furthermore, the Israeli army has forced nearby shops to close, effectively evacuating any Palestinian presence around the prison.

Simultaneously, Israeli police have stormed the homes of several Palestinian female prisoners in Jerusalem who are expected to be released on Sunday. 

The police have warned their families against celebrating or raising Palestinian flags, with threats that such actions could result in the release being cancelled.

MEE contacted a family in Silwan, in occupied East Jerusalem, for comment. They confirmed that they were prohibited from speaking to the media under threat of their daughter’s release being revoked.

These heavy-handed measures have also extended to the release process itself. 

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Israeli authorities have stated that they will oversee the prisoners' release, with Israeli police escorting them instead of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to prevent any public displays of joy or solidarity.

The prisoners will be transported on buses with blacked-out windows to ensure no photos are taken.

Palestinian media has also reported that the Israeli army will limit gatherings to first-degree relatives of the prisoners. 

Despite these measures, Palestinian national and Islamic forces, including Hamas, have called for public participation in receiving the released prisoners in major cities across the West Bank.

The first reception is expected to take place in Beitunia, the town closest to Ofer prison, where local residents are preparing a warm welcome, even under tight security restrictions.

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