Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password. Israel began releasing Palestinian prisoners on Thursday after eight hostages in the Gaza Strip were freed by militants earlier in the day in a sometimes chaotic process that briefly called the exchange into question and underscored the fragility of a ceasefire that began this month. The prisoners released include 30 serving life sentences for deadly attacks against Israelis. Some are allowed to return to the occupied West Bank, while those convicted of more serious crimes are being transferred to Egypt before further deportation.
Their releases began late Thursday after militants in Gaza freed three Israelis and five Thai nationals, who were working on farms in southern Israel when taken hostage more than 15 months ago.
The releases are part of a ceasefire aimed at ending the deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and Hamas, and securing the release of dozens more hostages abducted in the Hamas-led attack on Oct. MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
Scuffles erupted as the convoy of buses carrying the Palestinian prisoners departed from their Israeli prison in the West Bank. Palestinian teenagers threw stones outside the complex and Israeli forces fired tear gas as they tried to clear the area. Three Palestinians were wounded in the confrontations outside the prison, according to Palestinian Red Crescent, which said Israeli forces had used gunfire and stun grenades to disperse crowds. The families of Palestinian prisoners caught their first glimpses of the Red Cross buses carrying their loved ones through the bus windshields, some shattered in the melee of stone-throwing and tear gas-firing.
The uproar came hours after a chaotic hostage handover in the Gaza Strip, where masked militants shuttled some captives through a rowdy crowd of thousands of Palestinians.
