Between a few hurrahs, brandished telephones and the weapons of members of the Palestinian Authority security forces, Wael Samarah, a scarf in the colors of Palestine around his neck, walked with an almost hesitant step. "I feel alive again," said the former prisoner, who said he was a victim of "torture" during the 22 years he spent behind bars. Before this release, announced only a few days ago, he had only 40 days left before the official end of his sentence.

The scene took place on Saturday, February 1, in the square between the museum dedicated to the famous poet Mahmoud Darwish (1941-2008) and the cultural center in Ramallah, West Bank. Samarah is one of 183 prisoners released in exchange for the three Israeli Hamas hostages – Ofer Kalderon, Yarden Bibas and Keith Siegel – taken from the Gaza Strip earlier in the day.

Among the Palestinians released on Saturday, 18 had been sentenced to life imprisonment for their involvement in attacks on Israeli civilians in the early 2000s, including Ahmad Isleim and Shadi Amouri, and dozens of others had been incarcerated for long terms since the October 7, 2023 massacre. In accordance with the terms of the ceasefire agreement negotiated between Israel and Hamas, which came into force on January 19, 150 of them returned to the Gaza Strip, one to Egypt and only 32 to the capital of the Palestinian Authority.

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