Zamir picked as next IDF chief of staff, IDF on high alert in West Bank post-prisoner release

The Israeli air force struck armed terrorists as part of its ongoing counterterrorism operation in Jenin, the IDF announced Saturday afternoon. 
 
As a result of the strike, a teenager was killed, and two adults were wounded, the PA-run WAFA news outlet reported, citing the Red Crescent.

The IDF's West Bank division and the Civil Administration conducted a joint operation with the Shin Bet, Israel Prison Service, and the Border Police to ensure that there would be no celebratory gatherings for the prisoners who are being released on Saturday as part of the hostage, ceasefire agreement, the IDF announced in a joint Saturday statement.

On Thursday, violent riots erupted in the Binyamin Brigade region, where rioters threw Molotov cocktails and stones at Israeli security forces. The troops responded with warning shots, and the rioters dispersed.

The IDF said that they will "maintain zero tolerance for disturbances and expressions of support for Hamas."

Celebratory gatherings for release of terrorists

Zakaria Zubeidi, a former commander of the Fatah-aligned Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades in Jenin, received a hero's welcome in Ramallah on Thursday night after he was released with 109 other Palestinian prisoners as part of phase one of Israel's ceasefire agreement with Hamas. 

Israeli security forces operate across the West Bank on February 1, 2025 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

And on Tuesdsay night, Israel Police arrested 12 suspects in the Binyamina area of the West Bank, north of Jerusalem, after they displayed their support for the Hamas terror organization with flags and cheered for the release of a recently released terrorist, the Israel Police said Wednesday.

Footage of the displays went viral on social media, showing the suspects participating in a celebration, waving Hamas flags, and firing weapons into the air.

During the joint operation with Border Police and the IDF, they searched through the suspects' belongings and found Hamas flags, banners, fireworks, guns, money and more. Their vehicle was also confiscated by the security forces.

The suspects were brought into the Jerusalem District Police's Serious Crimes Unit for further questioning.

Who are the terrorists that were released?

Israel handed over the list of terrorists that were released on Saturday to Hamas on Friday night.

Among these terrorists, 150 were released to Gaza. Seven of the 150 were serving life sentences and were deported to Gaza, while the rest of the 150 were originally from there. According to the report, the Gazans were arrested after October 7 during IDF ground operations in Gaza.

Thirty-two will be released in the West Bank, and one terrorist, an Egyptian, will be sent to Egypt.

Among the list of terrorists that will be released are Shadi Amori, who took part in planning the bus bomb attack at the Megiddo Junction in 2002, killing 17 people; Ashraf Abu Sarur, who killed Sgt. Shahar Vekret, an IDF soldier, near Rachel's tomb in 2000; and Ahmed Aslam, a Fatah terrorist who killed a couple, Avi and Avital Wolanski, in 2002.

Shadi Amori was one of the planners behind the bombing attack on June 5, 2002, when a Palestinian suicide bomber drove up to the 830 Egged bus that was traveling from Tel Aviv to Tiberias on Highway 65, and at 7:15 a.m., the bomb detonated in the car next to the fuel tank of the bus, causing a huge explosion. 

The terrorist attack killed 13 soldiers and four civilians. 

On November 10, 2000, during the Second Intifada, Ashraf Abu Sarur shot and killed Sgt. Shahar Vekret near Rachel's Tomb at the entrance of Bethlehem.

On August 5, 2002, Ahmed Aslam opened fire at a car that was traveling on the Ramallah-Nablus road near Eli in the West Bank, killing Avi Wolanski and his wife Avital, and also wounding one of their children, who was three at the time of the attack.

A terrorist cell that was associated with Arafat's Fatah movement, Martyrs of the Palestinian Popular Army, claimed responsibility for the attack.

"Yarden is home, but the home is missing," Bibas family members said in a statement following the father's release.

"Yarden is a father who left the shelter to protect his family, bravely survived captivity and returned to a reality too difficult to bear."

The family asked the Israeli public to "protect Yarden and his soul."

"It will take a few days to reconnect with Yarden, but we are continuing with our calls and hopes for the return of Shiri, the children, and all remaining hostages...we do not stop until they are all home."

"At Sheba and Ichilov hospitals, the returned hostages are undergoing an initial medical evaluation together with their families and friends," Dr. Hagar Mizrahi, the head of the Medical Division at the Health Ministry, said Saturday afternoon.

"This is an emotional day for all of us after so many days of a difficult reality. It is a complex event, both emotionally and medically, for the returnees to Israel, their families, the families of the hostages, and the entire people of Israel, both in the country and abroad," Mizrahi added.

Newly released hostage, Keith Siegel, arrived at Ichilov hospital and underwent an initial medical examination, Ichilov said in a statement.

"These are sensitive moments for those returning to Israel and their families," they said. "We ask to respect their privacy and dignity."

The International Committee of the Red Cross said on Saturday it had transferred 175 Palestinian detainees from Israeli detention centers to Gaza and the West Bank.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock celebrated the release of three hostages from Hamas captivity - but shared her distress that Yarden Bibas would not be enjoying his new freedom along with his wife and children - who remain captive in Gaza.

“We all still have Shiri in our minds, holding her two small children Ariel & Kfir tightly in her arms to protect them from the terrorists,” Baerbock said in a statement on X/Twitter. “The fact that her husband Yarden returns but the three of them do not reinforces our worst fears. My thoughts are with the family.”

The Israeli Prison Service concluded its fourth wave of releasing Palestinian security prisoners on Saturday as part of the ceasefire and hostage deal agreed upon between Israel and Hamas.

As part of Operation "Wings of Freedom," 183 terrorists were transferred from various detention facilities across Israel to Ofer and Keziot prisons. They were escorted by fighters from the Prison Service's Nachshon Unit, with support from the Israel Police.