RAMALLAH, Palestine

Israel began on Thursday evening to release Palestinian prisoners under a Gaza ceasefire agreement.

Nineteen prisoners were set free from the Moskobiya Detention Center in Jerusalem, according to an Anadolu reporter.

Earlier, Red Cross buses left Israel’s Ofer Prison west of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on Thursday with dozens of Palestinian prisoners aboard under the deal.

Some 110 Palestinian prisoners are set for release on Thursday under the first phase of the ceasefire agreement in swap for three Israeli captives set free by Hamas early in the day.

Five additional prisoners will be released from the Negev prison in southern Israel and sent to Gaza, while 20 others will be transferred to Egypt.