Buses carrying Palestinian detainees leave Israeli prison

Tel Aviv, Jan 31, (dpa/GNA) – Buses carrying Palestinian detainees, left Israel’s Ofer Prison in the West Bank on Thursday after a delay.

Broadcasters showed the buses being accompanied by Israeli military vehicles, as they left the facility near Ramallah.

Israel was expected to release 110 jailed Palestinians, in exchange for the handover of eight hostage held by militants in the Gaza Strip since the October 7, 2023, attacks.

The Palestinians had been due to be released earlier Thursday.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, paused the operation after mob chaos erupted at one of the hostage handovers in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis.

Broadcasters showed Arbel Yehud, a 29-year-old woman, and Gadi Moses, an 80-year-old man, struggling to make their way through the densely-packed crowd of chanting people and to the waiting Red Cross vehicles. The scenes triggered outrage in Israel.

“I view with utmost severity the shocking scenes during the release of our hostages,” Netanyahu said in a statement, as he paused the reciprocal release of the Palestinians.

A short time later, he announced that he had received assurances about the safety of the hostage handovers going forward, paving the way for the release of the Palestinians.

GNA