VIDEO - Thousands of Palestinians rallied near Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' headquarters in Ramallah Friday, to welcome home the 255 Palestinian prisoners release from Israeli prisons.
Earlier Friday morning, the prisoners boarded transports headed form Ketziot prison to Bitunia checkpoint near the West Bank city of Ramallah, where they were handed over to the Palestinian Authority.
Abbas personally greeted the prisoners, saying "this is only the beginning… efforts must continue. Our work must continue until every prisoner returns to his home."
Members of the Presidential Guard tried their best to keep the peace, but were no match for the thousands of tearing family members, some of whom were reunited with their loved ones for the first time in years.
"All of our pain is gone now… we just hope the rest of the prisoners locked up in Israel will be freed soon," said. Iad Milhem, who was released this morning
Celebrating in the Mukataa (Photo: AFP)
Some 9,200 Palestinian prisoners are incarcerated in Israel. Most were arrested over the past seven years – since the second intifada broke out.
"We hope the combined steps of both the Israeli government and the Palestinian are the start of a new chapter in Israeli-Palestinian relations', Mark Regev, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry told Ynet.
"This release has broken the ice between us and Israel where prisoners are concerned," said Ziad Abu Ayn, director of prisoner affairs in the Palestinian Authority.
Attending the welcoming ceremony, among others, was MK Ahmad Tibi (United Arab List-Ta'al).