Palestinian woman Latifa Abu Hamid said she was filled with "indescribable joy" when she heard that her three sons had been freed from Israeli prisons, even though they had been forced into exile.

The three released Saturday were among dozens of inmates freed in exchange for Israeli hostages held by Gaza militants, under the truce agreement between Israel and Hamas that has halted the war in the Palestinian territory.

Like Abu Hamid's sons, many Palestinians released by Israel were not sent home but deported.

The 74-year-old resident of Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank has had five of her 10 children detained by Israel, some for decades, over their involvement in armed resistance.

Her three sons Nasr, 50, Sharif, 45, and Mohammed, 35, were released on Saturday from a prison in southern Israel's Negev desert.

"I'm so happy. I spoke to them... I heard their voices," said Abu Hamid.

"Of course, I would prefer them to live with us, to be here so we could enjoy their presence," she said.

Out of 200 prisoners released on........

© Al Monitor