Gaza City: The Israeli occupation authorities set free on Thursday a third batch of 110 Palestinian prisoners as part of the first stage of the ceasefire-hostage release agreement between the Israeli occupation authorities and Hamas. The Palestinian Authority of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs said 66 prisoners have come back to the West Bank and 14 others to the holy city of Jerusalem.
According to Kuwait News Agency, nine former prisoners were sent to Gaza Strip and 21 others will be extradited to another country via Gaza, as stated by the Authority. The third batch of former prisoners includes 32 life convicts, 48 high verdict convicts, and 30 child detainees.
Earlier today, Hamas released three Israeli hostages, including two female soldiers, and five Thai workers, who had been in captivity in Gaza for 15 months. One of the two female soldiers is Arbel Yehud, who had been at the center of the last week's crisis testing the truce deal.
The freed prisoners were handed over to the International Committee of Red Cross as part of the deal reached on January 17 through a joint mediation by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States.