Johnson Progress

In a landmark development, hundreds of Palestinians were freed by Israel as part of a ceasefire deal brokered by US President Donald Trump.

The prisoner exchange, which saw Israel release approximately 250 prisoners convicted of crimes including murder and 1,700 detainees from Gaza held without charge, was met with jubilation and tears of joy from families in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

As buses carrying the freed prisoners rolled into Gaza and the West Bank, families gathered to welcome their loved ones home.

Many of the released prisoners were frail, limping, and wrapped in keffiyehs, a testament to the harsh conditions they endured during their detention.

“He is ready to embrace freedom,” said Amro Abdullah, awaiting his cousin Rashid Omar, jailed since 2005.

“I want peace… a life without occupation or fear.”

The release of the prisoners was met with widespread celebration, with many describing it as a “day of joy.”

“This is a very beautiful feeling, a day of joy,” said Muhammad Hasan Saeed Dawood, 50, who was collecting his son arrested months ago.

“Despite the destruction and death, today feels like a national holiday.”

However, concerns were raised over the treatment of detainees in Israeli prisons.

It has reported that Israel’s Supreme Court recently acknowledged food shortages in prisons, while rights groups have accused Israeli forces of mistreating detainees.

“Their bodies are frail from starvation,” said Aya Shreiteh from the Palestinian Prisoners Club.

“But today gives us hope freedom is inevitable,” he added.

The prisoner exchange marks the first phase of Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan, which brought an end to the devastating war that began with Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attacks on southern Israel.

Over 67,000 Palestinians, including 18,000 children, have died since Israel’s military offensive began, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

The ceasefire, now holding, has been hailed as the first concrete step toward what Trump calls a “lasting peace for the region”.