Zina Barber, a 24-year-old Palestinian woman, had been imprisoned for more than a year and her family was preparing to release her as part of a ceasefire in Gaza when a group of Israeli police arrived. Saturday.

"They attacked our house and took away flags and symbols related to Palestine," said her mother, Amal.

Israel's Prison Service said on Friday it would take steps to prevent "public displays of joy" from the families of Palestinian prisoners released under the deal.

Under the first phase of a 42-day deal between Israel and Hamas, the militant group agreed to release 33 hostages, including children, women (including female soldiers) and men over 50, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians Imprisoned in an Israeli prison.

On Sunday, Hamas will release 90 prisoners in exchange for handing over three hostages to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

Relatives of Palestinian prisoners in East Jerusalem are to be released in exchange for three hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. They said they had been explicitly warned by Israeli military personnel not to speak to the media. The homes of at least four prisoners in East Jerusalem were reportedly raided by Israeli security forces.

"Sorry, but we can't talk now, they also attacked our house," said the family of another Palestinian prisoner, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of repercussions from Israeli police.

By reducing the visibility of celebrations by the prisoners' families, Israel appears to be aiming to ensure that the ceasefire is not interpreted as a victory for Hamas and a defeat for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

But Israel's warnings against celebrations did not work in the West Bank, where hundreds took to the streets of Ramallah, Qalandiya and Nablus to celebrate the prisoners' return.

Mothers, fathers, siblings and friends waited in the cold to hug their loved ones as part of the deal, which the Palestinian Prisoners Association described as "the largest collective rescue operation of male and female prisoners since 1985, and the most qualitative and quantitative" ". In Ramallah, some in the crowd waved Hamas flags.

In the Qalandiya refugee camp in the West Bank, Osama Shadeh and his family prepared candy, streamers and decorated their home with a Palestinian flag and a photo of his 17-year-old daughter Aseel. car. Asser was arrested last year and released on Sunday.

"It's hard to describe how we feel at this moment," he said. "My daughter was arrested on November 7 while she was protesting the killing of Palestinian children in Gaza. She was waving a Palestinian flag. Israeli soldiers shot her in the foot and handcuffed her. They accused her of trying to stab the soldiers "Her release now means that Israel knows that my daughter has done nothing wrong and yet they have kept a minor in custody for over a year."

The Israel Prison Service said preparations had begun to release prisoners from two prisons, one near Jerusalem and the other near the southern city of Ashkelon, and that they would first be sent to Ofer prison near Ramallah, where relatives were already there. There gathered in the cold, waiting for loved ones.

Cars carrying friends and relatives of prisoners waved Palestinian flags, a group of boys lit a bonfire in the cold and the first fireworks lit up the sky at sunset.

"I'm happy," said Khawlaha Mahfouz, 53, whose daughter Ayat, 33, from Hebron, was arrested in June 2024 for an attempted stabbing. "At the same time, my heart is sad and I am not ready to celebrate what is happening in Gaza."

In the second phase of the ceasefire agreement, the remaining living hostages will be repatriated, a corresponding proportion of Palestinian prisoners will be released, and Israel will completely withdraw from Palestinian territories. Specific details are subject to further negotiations, with the first phase set to begin in 16 days.

The third phase will address the exchange of bodies of deceased hostages and Hamas members and will launch a Gaza reconstruction plan. Future governance arrangements for the zone remain unclear.

About 100 of the Palestinian prisoners scheduled for release are serving life sentences for violent attacks against Israelis; others have been jailed for lesser crimes, including posting on social media, or placed in administrative detention where they can be held on undisclosed terms. evidence to preemptively arrest an individual.

a copy of the agreement The Guardian said nine wounded and injured Israelis would be released in exchange for 110 Palestinians serving life sentences in Israeli prisons.

Men over the age of 50 on the 33 hostage list will be released in exchange for prisoners serving life sentences in a ratio of 1:3 and prisoners with other sentences at a ratio of 1:27.

According to data released by the Israeli NGO HaMoked, as of January 2025, there were 10,221 Palestinians in Israeli prisons. Some 3,376 of them are in administrative detention and 1,886 are classified as "unlawful combatants," which also allows detention without charge or trial. The IDF and the Israeli government say the measures are in compliance with international law.

Palestinians have long claimed that incarceration is a key factor in Israel's 57-year occupation: various estimates suggest that up to 40 percent of Palestinian men have been arrested at least once in their lives.

The release of Palestinian prisoners is at the center of a long-standing stalemate in negotiations between Hamas and Israel, which stalled last July before resuming before President-elect Donald Trump took office. Trump has threatened to launch a "hell" attack on Hamas if the hostages are not released before he begins his second term.

During the talks, Palestinian officials said Israel continued to block the release of 10 specific prisoners, including Marwan Barghouti, the popular leader of the Fatah armed faction, and Ahmed, the leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Ahmad Saadat. In 2001, Israeli minister Rehavam Ze'evi was assassinated.

To avoid a deadlock in the latest talks, both sides agreed to postpone discussions on the release of prominent political and military figures to the second phase of the deal.