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Israel Releases 5 Prisoners in Hezbollah Swap | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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JERUSALEM, (AP)- Israel’s Prisons Service says five Palestinian prisoners have been released as part of Israel’s prisoner swap last month with Hezbollah guerrillas.

A Prisons Service statement says the five left a prison in central Israel Wednesday for the West Bank. They arrived midmorning in the town of Tulkarem.

According to the Prisons Authority Web site, all five are teenagers who were serving short sentences for throwing stones and were due to be freed next year.

The release follows the dramatic July swap between Israel and Hezbollah that brought back the bodies of two reserve soldiers to Israel in return for five Lebanese prisoners. As part of the deal, Israel agreed to release some Palestinian prisoners.