“After the conclusion of the necessary activities in the prisons and the approval of political authorities, all the terrorists were released from the Ofer and Ktziot prisons,” the Israel Prison Service said in a statement.

Some of the released prisoners were hoisted aloft by crowds to loud cheers and fireworks after they stepped off buses.

There was then a scramble as they tried to find their loved ones and family members, before being carried into a sports complex where the celebrations continued.

“Thank God! It’s a great feeling, I can’t describe this feeling! I’ve been in jail six years and two months,” released prisoner Bakker Kwaawish said after he got off one of the buses dressed in grey prisoner fatigues.

The youngest Palestinian prisoner released on Saturday was 16 years old. The oldest, Mohammed al-Tous, was 69. He had spent 39 years in jail, having first been arrested in 1985 while fighting Israeli forces.

Another prisoner, Mohammad al-Ardah, was part of a high profile jailbreak in 2021.

A total of 121 of the prisoners released had been serving a life sentence.

Some of the prisoners had been held for short periods of time, and some were never charged with a crime but were held under something called administrative detention.

The swap on Saturday was the second exchange since a ceasefire came into effect on 19 January. Three hostages and 90 Palestinian prisoners were released in the first swap.

During last week’s prisoner release, there was a noticeable show of support for Hamas, but on Saturday, Fatah, the West Bank’s ruling party, which dominates the Palestinian Authority (PA), turned out in force to display their backing for the prisoners.