The Zionist entity released 26 Palestinian prisoners as part of a deal that will see the so-called peace talks resume on Wednesday

The Zionist entity released 26 Palestinian prisoners as part of a deal that will see the so-called peace talks resume on Wednesday.

Israeli and Palestinian representatives will begin direct talks in occupied Al-Quds after a three-year hiatus.

Buses carrying the inmates drove them from a prison in the central of the occupied territories to the Beitunia checkpoint in the West Bank and the Erez crossing with Gaza.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas greeted the 11 sent to the West Bank, while crowds met the other 15 in Gaza.

Celebrations have begun in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip to welcome home the prisoners. Most have been in jail for some 20 years.

In a speech, Abbas said he would not rest "until we free all the prisoners from Israeli jails". "We congratulate ourselves and our families for our brothers who left the darkness of the prisons for the light of the sun of freedom. We say to them and to you that the remainder are on their way, these are just the first," he added.

Israel has agreed to free a further 78 long-serving prisoners as part of a deal to revive the “peace process”. The releases will take place in four tranches over a period of nine months, depending on progress in the talks.

In the northern Gaza Strip, hundreds of people gathered at the Palestinian side of the Erez crossing to greet the prisoners. Fireworks lit the night sky, as supporters of Hamas and Fatah factions, including several masked gunmen, made victory signs and waved flags.