Shafaq News/ As part of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, 70 Palestinian prisoners were released on Saturday following intense negotiations aimed at de-escalating the conflict in Gaza.

The prisoners crossed into Egypt via the Rafah border crossing, where they were greeted by family members and Palestinian officials.

Local sources also reported that buses carrying the freed individuals arrived in Ramallah, West Bank. Earlier reports indicated that the prisoners had left Israeli prisons, including Ofer in the West Bank and Ketziot in the Negev.

The Palestinian Prisoners Club confirmed that among those released was Mohammed Tawas, the longest-serving Palestinian prisoner in Israeli custody.

A spokesperson for the Club hailed the release as "a significant victory" for Palestinians, adding that many of the detainees had been imprisoned for their involvement in resistance activities against Israeli occupation.

The release of these 70 prisoners is part of a larger deal, in which Israel agreed to free 200 Palestinian detainees in exchange for four Israeli soldiers freed by Hamas earlier on Saturday.