It was the moment the crowd outside the gates of Ofer prison just outside the West Bank city of Ramallah had awaited for hours: A large white bus carrying Palestinian prisoners and detainees exited the prison gates and made its way through the crowd around 8 p.m. Friday.
Throngs of Palestinians erupted in cheers while drivers revved their engines in celebration.
Fireworks erupted, replacing the sounds of tear-gas canisters that Israeli security forces had fired to disperse the crowd throughout the afternoon.
As the prisoners and detainees made their way to a nearby municipality building, hundreds of people raced alongside them, waving Palestinian and Hamas flags.
Hanan Saleh al-Bargouthi, 59, who was among those released, hugged her husband and grandchildren as tears clouded her eyes.
Persons:
Ofer, Throngs, ”, Hanan Saleh al
Organizations:
West Bank, Hamas
Locations:
Ramallah, Israel, Gaza