Gaza ceasefire: late night tears and hugs for released Palestinian prisoners

Two buses carrying Palestinian prisoners released in the Gaza ceasefire deal had to inch through a thick crowd when they at last arrived in the West Bank at 2am Monday.

After the doors opened, women hugged their relatives and cried tears of joy while throngs of people chanted, waved flags and climbed atop the vehicles. Others lit fireworks in the normally quiet suburb of Beitunia.

Bushra al-Tawil, a Palestinian journalist jailed in Israel in March 2024, was among the first batch of prisoners to be released in the truce.

Over the next 42 days, around 1,900 Palestinians are due to be freed in exchange for 33 Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

Tawil began her journey at 3am the day before, when she was taken from her prison to another nearer the separation wall. There, she was grouped with other inmates awaiting movement.