Scenes captured the pain of many long years in a single moment of reunion… faces worn down by prison but illuminated by the light of freedom, and others still bearing the marks of waiting for those yet to be released.

These clips not only express the joy of release but also summarize the story of a people who do not know surrender; a people reborn from suffering time and again.

Israel released 1,968 Palestinian prisoners, according to figures from the Prisoners’ Media Office, distributed as follows:

• 250 prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment and long sentences.
• 1,718 prisoners from the Gaza Strip arrested after the war began on October 7, 2023.

The Israeli authorities gathered the prisoners scheduled for release from several central prisons, transferring 88 prisoners from Ofer prison west of Ramallah, and 162 prisoners from Ketziot prison in the Negev, in preparation for their final destinations.

This exchange deal is part of the first phase of the ceasefire plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, which came into effect on Friday, October 10. The exchange process is overseen by a tripartite committee including Egypt, Qatar, and the United States.