The post Freed prisoners feted by Palestinians as they arrive in Ramallah appeared first on The Times of Israel.

Bus carrying dozens of Palestinian prisoners arrives at Cultural Palace, says Anadolu correspondent - Anadolu Ajansı

A bus carrying a handful of released Palestinian prisoners left Israel's Ofer prison in the occupied West Bank and arrived in the Palestinian city of Ramallah today, an overnight exchange marking the final swap as part of a fragile truce in Gaza.

The caramel brown liquid, red-and-white soda cans and splashy big font bear remarkable resemblance to an iconic American soft drink.

The Palestinian resistance handed over the bodies of four Israeli prisoners to the Red Cross, while crowds in Ramallah celebrated the release of Palestinian detainees as part of a seventh exchange deal.

A group of released Palestinian prisoners were met with cheers in Ramallah on Thursday (February 27), following an overnight exchange marking the final swap as part of a fragile truce in Gaza. Hamas handed over the bodies of four Israeli hostages while it waited for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners to be released by Israel in return.

Hamas, Israel inch toward a second phase of the ceasefire as hostages’ bodies are handed over and prisoners are freed.#CeasefireTalks #Hamas

Israeli tanks have moved into the occupied West Bank for the first time in decades in what Palestinian authorities call a "dangerous escalation."

The handover would complete both sides' obligations under the Gaza ceasefire's first phase, during which Hamas agreed to return 33 hostages, including eight bodies, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

Analysts say Israel's West Bank assault and settlement expansion signal a deliberate effort to erase Palestinian identity and establish absolute control through annexation and forced displacement