Sorrow, elation as Palestinians witness the release of Israeli captives

In Khan Younis, Gaza, 32-year-old Abu Yousef* had been standing in the crowd since 8 a.m., near the ruins of the destroyed home of Hamas political and military leader Yahya Sinwar. He held his four-year-old son on his shoulders, waiting to catch a glimpse of the two Israeli captives about to be released.

Around Abu Yousef, thousands of people had gathered, surrounded by Hamas’s green flags and the black banners of Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Portraits of Hassan Nasrallah, the Lebanese Hezbollah leader killed by Israel, also appeared in the crowd, as well as those of Yemen’s Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, and the late Islamic Jihad founder, Fathi Shaqaqi.

“I feel proud to see these prisoners being released in exchange for countless Palestinians who have been held in Israeli prisons for decades,” said Abu Yousef, viewing the exchange as an affirmation of the long suffering of Palestinians.

The release was part of a high-stakes ceasefire agreement aimed at ending months of war since the deadly October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas fighters. Under the deal, which came into effect on January 19, Hamas was to release 33 Israeli captives over six weeks. In return, up to 1,650 Palestinian prisoners could be released from Israeli jails.

Thursday’s exchange was the third since the start of the truce, beginning with the release of 20-year-old soldier Agam Berger by Hamas in Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, followed by the release of civilians Alberel Yehud and Gadi Moses in Khan Younis, as well as five Thai nationals, in a handover overseen by the al-Quds Brigade, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad.

Later that day, Israeli authorities released 110 Palestinian prisoners, including 32 who had been serving life sentences and 30 minors. Abu Yousef said he had walked more than five kilometers (three miles) from his village, arriving early and waiting more than four hours to witness the release of the captives.

He said their release in exchange for Palestinian prisoners made him feel his losses in the war were not in vain. “These scenes,” he said, “help alleviate the pain of losing my two-story home and loved ones to Israeli airstrikes.” As armored pickup trucks drove by, carrying fighters in combat fatigues and black balaclavas, Abu Yousef proudly gestured to them.

“The resistance fighters are still here, alive, and capable of fighting back,” he said. “The entire exchange is a reminder that the occupier has failed to break us.”

On Khan Younis’s crowded Fifth Street, where the handover took place and where Sinwar’s home once stood, people waved banners and came to witness what many saw as a “symbolic victory.” Two women waved handwritten signs thanking Iran, Hezbollah and the Houthis for their support. One, 28-year-old Yasmin*, clutched a banner that read: “To all who stood by us, our victory is yours.”

“We came here to thank every country that has supported our resistance, especially Iran, [Lebanon’s] Hezbollah, and Yemen,” she said, adding: “But it is the steadfastness of our people that has brought us here.” Dozens of protesters climbed onto the rubble of leveled homes to witness the handover.

A two-hour delay did not dampen the crowd’s enthusiasm as people filmed with their smartphones and chanted celebratory slogans. The two Israeli captives, heavily guarded by masked al-Quds Brigade fighters, were escorted through the crowd to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Bystanders surged forward to take pictures, while young men close to the captives jeered as they were led away. “Alberel, you gave us too much trouble,” said 22-year-old Mohammed*, with a tone of irony, referring to the controversy surrounding Alberel Yehud’s release, which had led to tense standoffs between negotiators and sparked frustration among Palestinians.

Israel said Yehud was supposed to have been released last Saturday, and after she was not, accused Hamas of breaching the deal, then banned Palestinians from returning to their homes in the north. A deal was later reached, paving the way for thousands of displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza. “Go back to your families. We’re better off without you!” he shouted.

Among the onlookers, people described feeling both elation and grief after a war that has left at least 47,035 Palestinians dead and 111,091 injured. Shouts of “God is the greatest!” rang out through the street, the sounds of jubilation incongruous with the destruction around them. Homes in Khan Younis were reduced to rubble, agricultural fields were bulldozed, and the remaining olive trees were charred trunks.

Abdul Qadir*, 63, with a white beard and metal-framed glasses, stood to the side, watching in silence. “We should not seek conflict with any Arab nation or the international community,” he told Al Jazeera. “The credit goes to the Palestinians,” he said, pointing at the surrounding ruins, who had survived more than 15 months of relentless bombardment, “a genocide.”

“Our resilience has forced the world to see us. We endured bombs, sieges, and losses. But what is left?” he asked. “Look at this rubble: our homes, our farms. This is the price we paid.”