Israel-Hamas war, Gaza genocide

[SvennoJ]

Palestinian prisoners await release as West focuses on Israeli captives

Western media outlets have focused their attention on the release of the three Israeli captives, Al Jazeera senior political analyst Marwan Bishara says, while overlooking the release of 90 Palestinian prisoners that has not yet taken place.

“There is another side to the story. There are thousands upon thousands of Palestinian prisoners, including women and children who are being held in administrative detention without ever seeing a court, and this has been going on for six decades,” Bishara said.

“The importance of this and why this happened originally is because Hamas wanted to release those prisoners. [One of the original objectives] of the October 7 attack was so that they could get some captives who they could then exchange for Palestinian prisoners.”

Parents of Palestinian prisoners due to be released face uncertainty

Our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic have spoken to the father of a prisoner set to be released today.

He said that the parents had been waiting since 3pm (13:00 GMT) outside the prison but had not received any information regarding when they would see their children.

He also said the Israeli forces had reacted violently to any expressions of joy displayed by the Palestinians waiting outside the prison.

Palestinians wounded by Israeli forces outside Ofer Prison

At least seven people have been wounded after Israeli security personnel attacked people gathered near the military prison, inside which are the 90 Palestinian prisoners set to be released tonight.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society reports that the injuries, which its crews treated, were “minor”.

Sources say that Israeli forces deployed tear gas and rubber bullets against those gathered outside the prison, which is located near the Palestinian town of Beitunia, west of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.