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.

A profound moment

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.

Those slated for release also include 250 Palestinians sentenced to prison terms, most of them convicted of murder and terrorism in deadly attacks on Israelis dating back decades as well as others convicted on lesser charges, according to Israel’s Justice Ministry. The longest serving among them has been imprisoned for nearly 40 years. (AP)

Released Palestinian prisoners eagerly search for, and reunite with, their families upon arrival in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank pic.twitter.com/Mmf9cFeest

— TRT World (@trtworld) October 13, 2025

The post Palestinians celebrate as prisoners are released by Israel under ceasefire deal appeared first on Newswire.

A total of 56 Pakistani prisoners have been returned to Pakistan from Sri Lanka, with the repatriation taking place on Monday.

The group, consisting of five women and 51 men, arrived in Pakistan on a specially chartered flight.

Pakistan and Sri Lanka had agreed to facilitate the return of prisoners incarcerated in Sri Lankan jails for the last several years during meetings in May and then again in July.

Back-to-back discussions were held between Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and the Sri Lankan High Commissioner, Admiral (r) Ravindra Chandrasiri Wijegunaratne in this regard.

It is reported that the repatriation comes after three months of coordination between the two countries. (Newswire)

The post 56 repatriated Pakistani prisoners arrive from Sri Lanka appeared first on Newswire.

Two prisoners who had been serving life sentences for LTTE activities were granted Presidential Pardons on Sunday (Jan 14), it was reported.

According to the Sunday Times, President Ranil Wickremesinghe had granted Presidential Pardons to Nagalingam Madansekar and Selvathurai Kirubakaran.

Madansekar and Kirubakaran had been convicted under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and Emergency Regulations.

After being indicted in the Colombo High Court, Madansekar was convicted of charges filed under the Emergency (Miscellaneous Provisions and Powers) Regulations on March 29, 2023 and sentenced to life in prison.

Kirubakaran had been found guilty of charges filed under the PTA and even though he had filed an appeal against his conviction, on July 20, 2022, the Court of Appeal affirmed the ruling given by the Colombo High Court.

However, they have been granted Presidential Pardons by the President under powers vested with him under Article 34(1) of the Constitution.

The Presidential Pardons were initiated following Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakse’s recommendation, backed by a Prison Department report that said the duo had displayed good behaviour. (NewsWire)

The post Two LTTE prisoners serving life sentences receive Presidential Pardons appeared first on Newswire.