(20 Jan 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Beitunia, West Bank – 20 January 2025
1. SOUNDBITE (English) Sam Mednick, Associated Press:
++PART COVERED BY SHOTS 2-5++
"This bus behind me is full of dozens of Palestinian prisoners who have been released from Israeli jails. This is part of the ceasefire. You can hear the crowd here. They’ve been here for hours. They are chanting and cheering. They are so excited to see their loved ones. They’ve been waiting into the early hours of the morning. You see people waving Hamas and Palestinian flags. They’re slowly getting off of the bus right now. Some people have been hoisted on the shoulders of others as they’ve gotten off the bus. The majority of people being released tonight are women. There are children and younger people as well. The youngest is 15. There’s just this feeling of joy and excitement in the air, people honking and shouting and throwing firecrackers. A lot of people, however, say that it’s unfortunate that it took the war with Gaza and what’s happened in Gaza for the release of their loved ones. But they say that they’re just happy to hopefully be having them home very soon."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Beitunia, West Bank – 20 January 2025
2. Various of bus carrying released Palestinian prisoners surrounded by crowds of people
3. Various of released Palestinians walking through crowds
4. People cheering surrounding bus
5. People hugging
STORYLINE:
A jubilant crowd turned out in the West Bank city of Beitunia early Monday morning to greet the first group of Palestinian detainees released as part of the ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel.
The release took place after 1 a.m. — but crowds thronged the buses after they left the prison, some people climbing on top or waving flags, including those of Hamas.
There were fireworks and whistles, and shouts of “God is great.”
Those released were hoisted onto others’ shoulders or embraced.
Most of the group are women and the youngest to be released is 15 years old.
The crowd waited hours for the release of the 90 prisoners, which occurred more than seven hours after the first Israeli hostages were freed by Hamas.
The release is part of the first phase of the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which came into effect Sunday after 15 months of war, with mixed emotions and more difficult steps ahead over the next six weeks.
The Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel killed some 1,200 people and left some 250 others captive.
Nearly 100 hostages remain in Gaza.
Israel responded with an offensive that has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, who do not distinguish between civilians and militants but say women and children make up more than half the dead.
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