Israel has released 39 Palestinian prisoners in line with a Qatar-mediated deal that saw 13 Israeli captives freed by Hamas hours earlier.
Qadura Fares, who heads the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club NGO, said 33 prisoners freed in the West Bank were handed to a team from the International Committee of the Red Cross. He said the remaining six were released in Jerusalem.
The releases on both sides were part of a deal for a four-day truce in the Israel-Hamas war that began Friday.
Over the next four days, 150 Palestinian prisoners and 50 Israeli captives are to be freed.
Marah Bakeer, who was arrested in 2015 when she was 16 years old, was among those released in Jerusalem.
She told Al Jazeera many of the released prisoners require medical attention.
“All of the prisoners suffered a high level of medical neglect [while detained],” she said.
She said she is looking forward to spending time with her family and is considering enrolling in a university to pursue a degree in law.
