Israel starts releasing nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners

Israel began releasing nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners on Monday as part of the hostage exchange deal with Hamas — including some convicted for murder and terrorism.

The first wave of prisoners arrived in the West Bank and Gaza soon after Hamas released the final 20 living hostages it had kept in brutal conditions in more than two years since Oct. 7, 2023.

The Jewish state is set to free some 1,700 Palestinians who were arrested during the two-year war, as well as 250 other Palestinians serving prison time — including some convicted for murder and terrorism in deadly attacks dating back decades, a blow to the families of the victims.

The prisoners received a sick hero’s welcome at Gaza’s Nasser hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis, where huge crowds gathered to cheer them on.

There were similar celebrations in the West Bank’s Beitunia neighborhood as the freed prisoners exited their vans and flashed V-for-Victory signs at the cheering crowds.

The Israeli military allegedly sent out warnings to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza to not celebrate or support “terrorist organizations” at the risk of arrest, according to flyers obtained by the Associated Press.

Along with those released in the Palestinian territories, at least 154 prisoners who had been serving long sentences have been deported to Egypt, according to the Palestinian Prisoner Society.

Among those violent prisoners slated to be released are Raed Sheikh, 51, a former Palestinian police officer and Fatah member who was sentenced to multiple life terms in 2000 for his role in killing two Israeli soldiers in the West Bank.

Another notorious prisoner set to be freed is Mahmoud Issa, 57, a former Hamas commander imprisoned for life in 1993 for the kidnapping and killing of a 29-year-old Israeli border police officer.

With Post wires