Israeli forces employ tear gas as West Bank unrest continues

Israeli forces resorted to using tear gas to manage a crowd awaiting the release of Palestinian prisoners from a truce between Israel and Hamas, as reported by the Associated Press on Friday.

A mass of people gathered around Ofer prison, where the prisoners were to be released. As noted by the BBC, the crowd surrounded a vehicle belonging to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) near the Beitunia checkpoint, chanting, "Where are the prisoners?" According to reports mentioned by the BBC, the release of the prisoners was deferred due to the disturbances.

The Qatari Foreign Ministry announced that Israel has released 39 Palestinian detainees, comprising 24 women and 15 male teenagers, as per previous arrangements.

The prisoner release is part of the truce agreement in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas. In turn, Hamas was to transfer 13 hostages kidnapped on October 7 from Israel to the Gaza Strip, to the ICRC; these hostages have already been released and are now in Israel.

The Times of Israel reports that, citing the Israeli armed forces, the 13 hostages freed by the Palestinian organization Hamas on Friday have returned to Israel. The group includes women, children, and others kidnapped from the kibbutz Nir Oz amidst a Hamas attack on October 7.

"Our forces are accompanying the freed hostages until they reunite with their families in hospitals," states the military.

The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed that it "welcomes the return of Israeli citizens." The statement includes that the released hostages have undergone initial medical examinations.

Israeli media released the names of the freed individuals. The Times of Israel revealed that among them is a woman, who the Palestinian Islamic Jihad had previously announced died in captivity.

The released group also includes members of the same family: a 9-year-old boy, his 55-year-old mother, and his 78-year-old grandmother. The boy's grandfather remains in Hamas' custody.

Among the residents from kibbutz Nir Oz now back in Israel, there is also a woman and her 6-year-old daughter, as reported by the BBC.

After enduring 49 days of Hamas captivity, the hostages will be taken to hospitals where they will rejoin their families and loved ones.