Gaza-based Hamas Al Qassam Brigades released footage showing the release of the second batch of 13 Israeli prisoners who seemed healthy and comfortable while waving to the resistance fighters.
Prison authorities in Israel announced early Sunday that they had released 39 Palestinian detainees, after Hamas freed 13 hostages under an agreement that came into force on Friday. The freed Palestinian prisoners are all women and people under the age of 19, while the hostages released by Hamas are all women and children.
The agreement is supposed to last four days and allow the release of 50 Israelis and 150 Palestinians.
The exchange, which took place on Saturday, followed an initial swap on Friday when Hamas released 13 Israelis, all women and children, while Israel freed 39 Palestinian detainees, also all women and children.
Celebrations in East Jerusalem
Celebrations in East Jerusalem welcoming the released Palestinian prisoners were muted, amid heavy Israeli police presence.
The most prominent Palestinian released is Israa Jaabis, 37, who was convicted of detonating a gas cylinder in her car at a checkpoint in 2015, wounding a police officer. She was sentenced to 11 years in prison.
Armed Israeli security forces stood by her house as she returned.
Jaabis' photo, showing her withered fingers and partially burnt face, is regularly used in demonstrations to illustrate the suffering of Palestinian prisoners.
"I'm ashamed to talk about rejoicing when the whole of Palestine is wounded", Jaabis told journalists in her living room, alongside her 13-year-old son.
"They must release everyone," she said.
In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, crowds celebrated and chanted slogans praising Hamas for its role in the agreement.
The Islamist movement controls parts of the West Bank, rivalling Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas.
The Palestinian Prisoners' Club advocacy group reported that 17 Palestinians had been arrested on the same day the 39 were released.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health said Israeli troops have killed six Palestinians as Israeli raids continue in the occupied West Bank.
Prominent Palestinian prisoner Israa Jaabis was among 39 Palestinian prisoners – all women and teenagers – released on Saturday night.
Nine-year-old Irish-Israeli girl Emily Hand was among 13 more Israeli captives, including eight children, who have now arrived in Israel.
Thailand’s foreign ministry said four Thai captives also released were doing well but advised that 18 Thai nationals remain in Hamas captivity, including two more than previously known.
Israel has now released 78 Palestinian prisoners, including the 39 freed on Friday and 39 freed late on Saturday, as the temporary truce agreement and prisoner-captive exchanges continue.
But Israel has also continued to arrest more Palestinians in daily raids on the occupied West Bank, even as it releases others.
On Saturday, the Palestinian Prisoners Club said at least 17 Palestinians were arrested in the West Bank after the first release of prisoners.
Even after the releases, more than 8,000 Palestinians remain in Israeli custody, including more than 2,200 administrative detainees held without charge or trial.
13 Israeli hostages
Families and children kidnapped from Israel's southern Kibbutz Beeri were among the 13 Israeli hostages released by Hamas on Saturday, according to accounts given to AFP by their relatives, Israeli press, and the Hostage Families Forum.
The releases came following a Friday agreement between Israel and Hamas, which is supposed to last four days and allow for 50 Israelis and 150 Palestinians to be freed.
A group of 13 Israeli hostages were also freed on Friday under the agreement, while Israel released 39 Palestinian prisoners on Friday, and a further 39 on Saturday night.
Hamas also freed 15 foreigners who were not included in its agreement with Israel: four Thai hostages on Saturday, in addition to ten Thais and one Filipino released on Friday.
The 13 Israeli hostages released Saturday are:
- Hila and Emily -
Hila and Emily, two friends aged 13 and 9, were abducted together, along with Hila's mother Reaya Rotem, 54, who is still held in Gaza.
Emily was initially reported dead, but was later counted among the hostages.
The young Israeli-Irish girl, whose mother died of cancer when she was two-and-a-half years old, celebrated her 9th birthday in captivity on 17 November, according to her father, Thomas Hand.
"She spent her birthday in the tunnels of Gaza," he said at a gathering in her honour in London that day.
- Adina Shoham and her family -
Adina Shoham, 38, was abducted with her three-year-old daughter, Yahel, and eight-year-old son, Naveh.
All three also hold German dual nationality through Adina's father, Avshalom Haran, who was killed in the attack.
Adina's aunt, Sharon Avigdori, was abducted with her daughter Noam, 12.
They were all at Kibbutz Beeri to visit Adina's mother, Shoshan Haran, who was also released on Saturday.
Adina's husband, Tal Shoham, was the seventh hostage in their family and is still held by Hamas.
- Shiri Weiss and her daughter -
Shiri Weiss, a 53-year-old accountant, and her daughter Noga, 18, were abducted from their home in Kibbutz Beeri.
According to the accounts of their relatives, with whom Noga was in contact via WhatsApp during the assault, the young woman was hiding under a bed when her mother was abducted.
Driven out by smoke that filled her house, she tried to hide outside, where she was spotted.
Her father, Ilan Weiss, had left his home at dawn that day to defend his kibbutz. He was also taken hostage.
- Alma and Noam -
The two teenagers Alma, 13, and Noam, 16, were abducted from Kibbutz Beeri in the company of their father Dror Or and their cousin Liam, 18.
Their mother, Yonat, was killed in the attack.
Their elder brother, Yahli, who is undergoing military service in northern Israel, was not at home.
- Maya Regev -
Maya Regev, 21, was abducted with her younger brother Itay, 18, as they tried to flee the Tribe of Nova music festival.
Maya was hit by gunfire while on the phone with their father, who tried in vain to locate their position.
A few hours later, the siblings were seen in video circulating online tied to the back of a pick-up truck.
Originally from Herzliya, near Tel Aviv, Maya and Itay had returned to Israel the previous day after celebrating their mother's birthday abroad.
