UPDATE - Palestinian prisoners released in swap deal arrive in Ramallah

ADDS DETAILS; CHANGES HEADLINE

By Awad Rjoub and Rania Abu Shamala

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – Palestinians released from Israel's Ofer Prison arrived in the West Bank city of Ramallah early Thursday.

An Anadolu correspondent said a bus carrying dozens of released Palestinian prisoners accompanied by teams from the International Red Cross arrived at the Cultural Palace in Ramallah, where their families were waiting.

The correspondent added that the arrival of the bus was met with loud cheers and chants of joy from the gathered crowd.

As the prisoners began exiting the bus, their families greeted them with emotional embraces in a scene where tears mixed with feelings of happiness.

The Palestinian group Hamas' Prisoners Information Office said that 43 of the prisoners are expected to be released to the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem, out of a total of 620 set to be released.

The release is part of the delayed seventh batch of the prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel.