Zionist occupation authorities released the second batch of Palestinian prisoners from Ketziot Prison in the Negev to the Gaza Strip on Monday evening, as part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement announced last month. According to WAFA, 38 buses and 10 ambulances transported hundreds of recently released prisoners, who arrived at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Yunis, where they were greeted by their families and large crowds of civilians. Many were taken for medical examinations and treatment before returning to their homes.
The released group includes 154 prisoners serving life sentences who will be transferred from the Gaza Strip to Egypt, in addition to 1,718 detainees from Gaza who had been arrested on October 7, 2023. Earlier in the day, the first batch of 96 prisoners was freed from Ofer Prison, west of Ramallah, and received at the Ramallah Cultural Palace in Beitunia.
The release follows the ceasefire plan announced by U.S. President Donald Trump on September 9, which outlined the first phase of his Middle East peace plan aimed at ending the war on Gaza, ensuring the withdrawal of occupation forces, the entry of humanitarian aid, and a comprehensive prisoner exchange. Prisoners’ organizations report that over 11,000 Palestinians remain detained in Zionist prisons under catastrophic conditions marked by torture, starvation, and medical neglect, leading to several deaths. Among them are 350 serving life sentences, 53 women, around 400 minors, and approximately 3,380 held without trial. Since October 7, 2023, Zionist forces’ actions in Gaza have resulted in more than 67,806 deaths and over 170,000 injuries, mostly among women and children, alongside a famine that has claimed the lives of 463 Palestinians, including 157 children.
