Palestinian prisoners Israeli forces raided our houses, say relatives

The family of Zina Barber, a 24-year-old Palestinian woman held in a jail for more than a year, were preparing for her to be released as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal when a group of Israeli police officers came to their door late on Saturday.

- Lorenzo Tondo, Sufian Taha

"They raided our house, and seized flags and symbols associated with Palestine," said her mother, Amal.

The Israel Prison Service said on Friday that it would take measures to prevent any "public displays of joy" by families of Palestinian prisoners released in the deal.

Under the first phase of the deal reached between Israel and Hamas, which is to last 42 days, the militant group has agreed to release 33 hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

But relatives faced an anxious wait yesterday.

Families of prisoners from East Jerusalem said Israeli military personnel had explicitly warned them against speaking to the media. The homes of at least four prisoners in East Jerusalem were reportedly raided by Israeli security forces.

"Sorry, but we can't talk right now, they raided our house too," said a family member of another Palestinian prisoner who prefers not to be identified for fear of repercussions by the Israeli police.

By diminishing the visibility of celebrations among the families of prisoners, Israel appears to be aiming to ensure that the ceasefire does not get interpreted as a victory for Hamas and a defeat for the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

But the Israeli warning against the celebrations did not work in the West Bank, where hundreds of people took to the streets of Ramallah, Qalandia and Nablus to celebrate the prisoners' expected return.