in the West Bank, the announcement of the release of Palestinian prisoners is greeted with caution

An agreement for the release of more than 50 hostages was reached on Wednesday, November 22, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel and a four-day pause in hostilities in the Gaza Strip.

After 46 days of a deadly war, Israel and Hamas have agreed to the release of hostages. There are 50 Israelis held hostage in Gaza since October 7 who must be released slowly. In exchange for a four-day truce in the Gaza Strip – still targeted by Israeli strikes – and the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners.

In Ramallah in the West Bank, this announcement is seen as a definite step forward and above all a rare “good news” since October 7 because the release of a prisoner is always a celebration. Relatives gather around the person leaving prison, welcoming him with horns, flags and a welcome dinner. It’s something families look forward to. But in Jerusalem, police are already preparing to prevent these celebrations, as senior officials said Wednesday morning.

A mixed announcement

One thing is certain, in Ramallah, optimism is cautious. First, because there is still a lot of uncertainty. The list published by Israel includes twice as many names: 300 prisoners: 49 members of Hamas, 33 women, the oldest is 59 years old, and 123 young people between 14 and 18 years old, the latter are accused of having thrown stones, detained weapons, thrown incendiary bombs or having been the cause of arson. They are all likely to be released but not all of them will get out. “They are only minors”says Huda, a resident of Ramallah who would like all young people to be able to go out: “We would like to reassure them, tell them that they will all get out. Many don’t even have money to buy things in prison. We would like to understand because no one cares about children like them.”

The Palestinians would like to see more prisoners released, obviously. Above all, there is the disappointment of those whose loved ones are not included in the agreement, all men in particular. Not to mention all the families of prisoners who have been behind bars for ten years. Because on this list, we see that some of the minors had been detained for no more than two years and most are still awaiting trial. And as the president of the Prisoners’ Club recalled Wednesday morning, Qaddoura Fares, there are 8,300 Palestinians currently detained in Israeli prisons. The number of people arrested has continued to increase: more than 3,000 Palestinians since October 7.