[News] 2K Palestinian detainees freed, defy occupation with mass welcome

[Anti-Imperialist News]

english.almayadeen.net
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/2k-palestinian-detainees-freed--defy-occupation-with-mass-we>
2K Palestinian detainees freed, defy occupation with mass welcome
Al Mayadeen English
October 13, 2025
------------------------------

Liberated Gaza detainees arrive as Hamas hails a resistance victory despite
occupation attempts to ban gatherings.

   - [image: 2K Palestinian detainees freed, defy occupation with mass
   welcome]
   <https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2025/10/13/bba84e5f-6684-4e32-9447-2a9467ae1171.jpg?width=1000>
   A Palestinian detainee makes the victory sign after being released from an
   Israeli prison as part of the ceasefire deal between the occupation and the
   Palestinian Resistance, upon his arrival in the West Bank city of Ramallah,
   on October 13, 2025. (*AP* Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

Palestine's Prisoners' Information Office confirmed that the first of 38
buses carrying Palestinian detainees from Gaza has departed en route to the
Strip, marking a significant phase in the large-scale exchange deal
underway as part of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

According to the media director of the Prisoners' Affairs Office, several
detainees who have spent decades behind bars are among those being freed. A
total of 154 prisoners will travel abroad, while others will return to
their homes in the West Bank, occupied al-Quds, and Gaza.

The director noted that the occupation attempted to evade its obligations
under the agreement, as it has in previous deals. However, the Palestinian
Resistance insisted on confirming the agreed-upon names, including
long-term detainees and those captured from Gaza. "We made improvements to
the list of prisoners, especially those detained from the Gaza Strip," it
added.

In Khan Younis, *Al Mayadeen*’s correspondent reported that large crowds
gathered to welcome the liberated detainees, with flags of Hamas and
Islamic Jihad raised in celebration. Meanwhile, in the West Bank, buses
carrying released detainees arrived in Ramallah, where people assembled at
the Ramallah Cultural Palace to greet them.

*Reuters *reported that 1,966 Palestinian detainees had been prepared for
release
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/orders-issued-to-release-security-prisoners-as-part-of-excha>
earlier in the day, boarding buses inside Israeli prisons. Among them, 250
prisoners serving life sentences are expected to be released to the West
Bank, occupied al-Quds, and locations abroad.

On that note, the Israeli occupation has intensified efforts to suppress
public celebrations in occupied al-Quds and the West Bank following the
release of Palestinian detainees on Monday under the first phase of the
Gaza ceasefire agreement.
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/hamas---israel--forced-to-accept-resistance-s-conditions>

According to Siraj Abu Arafa, a lawyer with the Wadi Hilweh Information
Center in al-Quds, the Israeli intelligence service summoned the families
of detainees set to be released
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/iof-suppressing-celebrations-of-freed-palestinian-detainees>,
pressing them to sign conditional release agreements.

Abu Arafa explained that the imposed conditions include a ban on public
gatherings, assemblies, or any form of celebration. He added that each
liberated detainee would be escorted directly to their home by an
intelligence vehicle to enforce compliance with these restrictions.
Hamas: 'Israel' forced to accept Resistance's conditions

On another note, in a statement on Monday, Hamas highlighted the failure of
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/hamas---israel--forced-to-accept-resistance-s-conditions>
and the Israeli military, after two years of a brutal war of extermination,
to forcibly recover their captives. Hamas stressed that the occupation was
ultimately forced to accept the resistance’s conditions, reiterating that
the only path to returning their soldiers was through a negotiated exchange
and a complete halt to the aggression.

The movement emphasized that the resistance made every effort to preserve
the lives of the captives, despite ongoing attempts by what it described as
the "war criminal Netanyahu and his terrorist army" to target and eliminate
them. In contrast, the statement pointed out that Palestinian detainees in
Israeli jails are subjected to systematic abuse, torture, and murder.

Hamas further stated that the liberation of its "heroic detainees," many of
whom are serving life or long-term sentences and have spent decades behind
bars, is the result of the Gaza Strip’s resilience and the bravery of the
Resistance.
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