One of the Palestinian prisoners, who was released in a prisoner-hostage swap and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, gestures as he and others disembark from their bus upon arrival at Ramallah in West Bank on Monday --AFP WEST BANK, Oct 13 (AP/AFP): Palestinians celebrated on Monday as Israel began releasing nearly 2,000 Palestinians from prison in exchange for Hamas's freeing of Israeli hostages under a breakthrough ceasefire deal in Gaza.
Hundreds cheered as two buses carrying dozens of released prisoners arrived in Beitunia in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The freed men, with their heads' shaved, descended from the bus, flashing V-for-victory signs; some were lifted up onto the shoulders of the crowd, while others sunk into chairs nearby exhausted.
"It was an indescribable journey of suffering - hunger, unfair treatment, oppression, torture and curses - more than anything you could imagine," said Kamal Abu Shanab, a 51-year-old Fatah member from the West Bank town of Tulkarem.
His face gaunt, he said he lost 139 pounds (59 kilograms) in prison. "We don't recognize him. He's not the person we knew. Our uncle doesn't look like our uncle," said his niece, Farah Abu Shanab.
The releases have powerful resonance on both sides.
For Israelis, they're deeply painful, since some of those being release have been convicted over attacks that killed civilians and soldiers. For Palestinians, the issue of prisoners is among the most politically charged, with nearly every Palestinian having a friend or family member who has been jailed by Israel, particularly young men.
While Israel views them as terrorists, many Palestinians consider the prisoners as freedom fighters resisting a decades-long Israeli military occupation.
In previous exchanges, both sides have sought to tightly manage the releases - including the images, clothing and ceremonies - because of their political sensitivity.
The 2,000 include some 1,700 of the several thousand Palestinians that Israeli troops seized from Gaza during the 2-year war and have held without charge.
The European Union will Wednesday restart a civilian mission to monitor the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt in support of a US-brokered ceasefire deal, the bloc's top diplomat said Monday.
"The EU stands ready to do its part," Kaja Kallas posted on X after Hamas released a first group of Israeli hostages as part of the agreement. "This mission can play an important role in supporting the ceasefire," she said.
The 27-nation bloc set up a civilian mission in 2005 to help monitor the Rafah crossing, but it was suspended two years later after the militant Islamist group Hamas took control of Gaza.
The EUBAM monitoring mission aims to provide a neutral, third-party presence at the key crossing and involves police from Italy, Spain and France. It was briefly redeployed in January but suspended again in March.
Welcoming Monday's hostage release, Kallas highlighted US President Donald Trump's role in this "crucial milestone towards peace", saying the leader "made this breakthrough possible".
In a separate statement, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said Monday's Gaza summit in Sharm el-Sheikh finalising the agreement to end the war would be "a historical milestone."
The bloc "fully supports the peace plan brokered by the United States, Qatar, Egypt, and Turkiye," she wrote.
"We stand ready to contribute to its success with all tools at our disposal," she said, including by "providing support on governance and for the reform of the Palestinian Authority".
The EU is represented in Sharm el-Sheikh by Antonio Costa, who heads the European Council of the bloc's member states.
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