Since Friday evening, Israeli occupation authorities have released 78 child prisoners and detainees who have spent varying periods within the occupation's prisons. This came after a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas in Gaza as part of a truce agreement. It is expected that the occupation authorities will gradually release a total of 150 male and female prisoners from the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem during the days of the truce, in exchange for the release of several Israeli prisoners in Gaza. In the past few days, 30 female prisoners have been released, including four administrative detainees, and 14 prisoners serving varied sentences, the highest is the released prisoner Shorouq Dwayyat, sentenced to 16 years. Among those released were also several injured prisoners, including Israa al-Ja'abees, who suffers severe burns, and Fatima Shaheen, who lost the ability to walk after being shot by the occupation forces.
Regarding children, the occupation authorities released 48 child prisoners in the past two days, among them the injured child prisoner Wisam Tamimi, who had been shot in the head few days before his arrest. The Israeli prison service (IPS) has practiced deliberate medical neglect and assaulted him during detention, and he is still under trial. Additionally, seven children under arbitrary administrative detention were released, and it is also expected to release the child Mohammad Abu Qutaish, who is serving a 15-year sentence, which is the highest sentence among the children, in the coming days.
The Israeli forces deliberately assaulted the prisoners and their families during the prisoner release operations. They delayed the release of prisoners until late at night, and they released the child prisoners wearing clothes that did are too big for their size, and some of them were barefoot. Additionally, the clothes did not provide adequate protection from the cold weather. The forces also used sound bombs, gas, rubber bullets, and live ammunition in front of Ofer Prison while families were gathered, awaiting the release of their loved ones.
Moreover, the Israeli forces raided the homes of the prisoners before their release in occupied Jerusalem, preventing them from any signs of celebration upon reuniting with their sons and daughters. The families were summoned to the Mascobiyyeh interrogation center and subjected to arbitrary conditions that prohibited gatherings, banned marches and fireworks, and prevented chanting slogans. The Israeli forces also assaulted journalists who were present at the homes of the detainees in Jerusalem, by physically assaulting and expelling them, prohibiting them from media coverage.