by The daughters of the Awad family were busy dressing up at their home in Qalandiya, on the West Bank of the notorious checkpoint, on Saturday evening. The hair was curled and eyeliner was applied; the four chose black and white outfits to represent Palestine keffiyeh scarves. The celebration was for the unexpected release of their older sister, Noorhan, 24, from prison in Israel. She was imprisoned eight years ago; the youngest Mayar, 10 years old, she does not remember.
Palestinian flags and posters of Noorhan and two other young people from the neighborhood were displayed in their community center. “So much has changed since Noorhan last came home,” said her mother Sumaya. “We are so excited. I don’t want to expect too much.”
Noorhan is one of 42 women and children expected to be released from Israeli prisons on Saturday evening, the second day of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
On Friday, the world was moved by the sight of nine-year-old Ohad Munder running into his father’s arms, one of 13 Israeli children and women released as part of the deal seven weeks after their have been seized from their homes as hostages during Hamas’. attack on Israel on 7 October. At the Betunia checkpoint in Ramallah, near the infamous Ofer prison, Palestinian families repeated similar scenes a few hours later: mothers called their daughters to bed, home earlier than anyone could expect.
39 Palestinians, out of a list of 300 potential candidates, were released on Friday night. On Saturday, in the evening, nine Israeli children were to be released in the custody of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) before they were flown in helicopters from the Rafah Gaza crossing with Egypt to the members of their families who survived – but concerned people i. both Israel and the Palestinian territories were still waiting until late at night, as the market seemed to collapse.
At 6.30pm (4.30pm GMT), Hamas said on its Telegram channel that it was delaying the release of the second batch of Israeli hostages because Israeli forces were not allowed to enter the northern half of the Gaza Strip with aid trucks entering the northern half of the now-affected Gaza Strip. 50 days of unprecedented war. Hamas also alleged that Israel was not adhering to agreed criteria for releasing Palestinian prisoners in order of “seniority”.
Outside the Ofer prison in Ramallah, Israeli forces used tear gas to disperse crowds waiting for buses carrying the prisoners to be released; at least one man and a 17-year-old boy were injured by live fire, a sign of how quickly the ceasefire could be derailed.
In Qalandiya, many people were concerned that the delay could mean the restart of the fighting in Gaza and the collapse of the market, as they hope to see their loved ones again.
Almost 15,000 Palestinians were killed by Israeli airstrikes. About 1,200 Israelis were killed on 7 October. The death toll is already the worst in the 75-year-old conflict.
The agreement states that after the initial four-day ceasefire, for every 10 hostages who come home from Gaza, the fighting will be suspended for an additional day, up to a total of 10 days. He could see 50 Israelis released in exchange for three times more Palestinians.
As for the Palestinians, the mood was great, at least before Saturday’s long wait. “This is a victory for all the Palestinian people, even though every family is suffering under the Israeli occupation,” said Rasmi Dagadeen, 25, from Hebron who was awaiting the possible release of his cousin, Younis Hawameh, 17. He did not say he what Hawameh in prison for.
“It is wrong to imprison minors. They arrested him for nothing, they took him from his work,” said Dagadeen.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Association says there are 7,200 prisoners held in Israel, including 88 women and 250 under-18s. A central issue for Palestine is the state of prisoners: about a million of the population of 5 million have spent time in Israeli prisons, according to a recent UN report. Israel is the only developed country that regularly tries on minors – Palestine, not Israel – in military courts.
NGO Defense for Children International said: “Every year, 500-700 Palestinian children, some as young as 12 years old, are detained and prosecuted in the Israeli military court system.”
Israel has refused to release anyone sentenced for murder. Most prisoners are held for throwing stones, damaging property or contact with “hostile” organizations. Many are under administrative detention, which allows for the pre-trial detention of secret evidence and extended periods of six months in prison without charge or trial.
Noorhan Awad was 16 when she was arrested in 2015 for using scissors to stab an Israeli outside the Old City in Jerusalem; the wounded man was moderate. She initially denied the charges but, like many Palestinians advocated by lawyers, later pleaded guilty. She was sentenced to 13 years in prison, later reduced to 10 years.
“We are not a political family. I don’t think Noorhan did it, but she is a strong willed girl,” said Sumaya. “She got a law degree in prison. I hope her future will be brighter.”
After Friday night’s chaotic scenes, only one person was allowed to pick up each released keeper. Sumaya’s uncle had been waiting outside the Betunia checkpoint since 1pm; by 8pm, he was still there, even as men and women began to fill up the separate party rooms at the community center in Qalandia. Small boys carrying pistols and toy rifles ran around the street outside.
Yasmeen Awad, 39, a member of the extended family, said: “We can be here until the morning. One night is nothing after eight years.”
