Large crowds of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip gathered on Monday to welcome and celebrate the release of prisoners, with many chanting takbir, cheering, whistling, and ululating.

Palestinians rushed to embrace the freed prisoners arriving by buses under a ceasefire agreement. Israel released 250 Palestinians serving life sentences, along with 1,700 detainees from Gaza since the start of the war, 22 minors, and the remains of 360 militants.

Thousands gathered inside and around Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, awaiting the arrival of the freed prisoners, waving Palestinian flags and holding pictures of their relatives. Um Ahmed, fighting back tears, expressed mixed feelings of joy and pain due to the losses and destruction.

The released prisoners arrived by bus, some flashing victory signs from the windows, and underwent medical examinations at the hospital. Earlier, over ten fighters from the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing, arrived at the hospital where a platform and seats were set up to receive the returning prisoners. Palestinian national songs played over loudspeakers. Hamas stated that 154 prisoners were deported to Egypt.

In Ramallah, West Bank, Samer Halabiyeh, a doctor recently released from Israeli prisons, said prisoners only learned about their release long after the agreement was signed. Standing beside his tearful mother, he expressed hope for the release of all prisoners.

Mohammed Al-Khatib, who spent twenty years in Israeli prisons for killing three Israelis, said he could hardly believe he would reunite with his family in Bethlehem. He last saw his children thirty months ago during a visit.

However, Israel did not release senior Hamas leaders or some prominent figures from other factions, prompting criticism from some prisoners’ relatives. Tala, daughter of Hamas leader Abdullah Barghouti, who was sentenced to 67 life terms in 2004, described the deal on Facebook as incomplete and said it closed hope for the release of key leaders.