Israel on Tuesday released the third batch of 26 long-serving Palestinian prisoners under a US-brokered deal to push ahead faltering peace talks with the Palestinians.
Three of the prisoners released were from Gaza, eighteen from the West Bank and five from east Jerusalem. They departed on buses from Israeli jails overnight and received hero’s welcome on their return to the West Bank and Gaza, with jubilant relatives and officials lining up to greet them.
Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas waited at his headquarters in Ramallah to meet the released prisoners in the middle of the night. “This is day of happiness for our nation, our families and our prisoners, the heroes, who have seen the light of freedom. We are guaranteeing that this won’t be the last time that prisoners are freed,” Abbas said.
Meanwhile, the government of Slovakia has taken three more prisoners from Guantanamo, helping the US get closer to its goal of shutting the prison on the base in Cuba.