Israel releases 26 Palestinian prisoners

Israel freed 26 Palestinian prisoners on Wednesday, marking the second of four group releases as part of a deal that set in motion the current U.S.-brokered Israeli-Palestinian talks.

The decision to release the prisoners has been met with protest by groups within Israel. But celebrations were held in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip on Wednesday as freed men – many of whom who have spent more than 20 years behind bars -- were received by their families and Palestinian leaders.

Throngs of people rushed toward five prisoners released in Gaza, hoisting them on their shoulders. 

Relatives held signs that read "we will never forget our heroes." More than 2,000 people welcomed the 21 prisoners released to the West Bank, who were greeted at a ceremony by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

"We greet and welcome our brothers, and we confirm that they will return to their homes and nowhere else," Abbas said in a speech.

Wednesday's release was part of an agreement brokered by Secretary of State John Kerry that brought Israel and the Palestinians back to the table for peace talks that had been paralyzed since 2008. 

In all, 104 convicts are to be released in four rounds over the coming months.

"Today is our second happy moment and after two (more) months there will be a third moment of happiness, then the fourth, and then the fifth, until all the prisoners are released. I tell you, there will be no final agreement without the release of all the prisoners," Abbas said. 

Rezek Salah, a released prisoner who was jailed in 1993, said "I feel very happy, I can't describe how I feel. At the same time I feel sad because we left behind thousands of jailed prisoners that are suffering from the Israeli occupation acts. I believe that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will do his best to make sure all prisoners are released."

The fate of the prisoners is a deeply emotional issue in Palestinian society. After decades of fighting Israel, many families have had a member imprisoned and the release of prisoners has been a longstanding demand.

Thousands of Palestinians have been held in Israeli prisons since Israel's occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war, many jailed on charges ranging from throwing rocks to killing civilians in bombings, shootings and other attacks.

Israel's Supreme Court earlier rejected an appeal that sought to cancel the prisoner release. An organization of bereaved families behind the appeal has said it fears the prisoners, all convicted in connection to the deaths of Israelis, will return to violence once freed.

Highlighting the opposition to the move, some 50 Israelis protested outside the West Bank prison where the inmates were held ahead of the release. They raised signs reading "death to murderers" and burned keffiyehs, traditional Palestinian headscarves. Over a thousand people demonstrated against the release on Monday.

Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon told Israeli TV he felt for the bereaved families but that the decision to free the prisoners came from a "responsibility to guide the state of Israel according to a long-term strategy."

Israel has a long history of lopsided prisoner exchanges with its Arab adversaries. But Wednesday's release appeared especially charged because Israel is receiving little in return except for the opportunity to conduct negotiations that few people believe will be successful.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already said he will announce new settlement plans, apparently to make up for the release. 

Al Jazeera and wire services