The Israeli army released on Monday 245 Palestinian prisoners from different jails as a goodwill gesture to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, witnesses said.

According to witnesses, on Monday afternoon, busses full of 227 prisoners from the West Bank arrived at the Beitunya roadblock, and then went to al-Muqataa, the headquarters of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) in Ramallah.

Also, Palestinian sources in Gaza said 18 prisoners, residents of the Gaza Strip, also arrived at the Erez crossing point on the border with Israel, and were received by dozens of recipients.

Hussein al-Sheikh, chief of civil affairs, and Minister of Prisoners' Affairs Ashraf el-Ajrami as well as hundreds of recipients received the West Bank freed prisoners at the Beitunya crossroad, and accompanied them to al-Muqataa.

"There are 11,000 prisoners still in Israeli jails and the number of prisoners freed today is symbolic," said al-Sheikh, adding that "the Palestinian National Authority would continue exerting efforts to free the prisoners."

On Sunday, the Israel Prisons Service (IPS) said in a statement that a total of 227 prisoners would be freed on Monday.

Yet shortly before the release at Beitunya, an IPS spokesman at the scene put the number at 224, with 205 to be handed over to the West Bank and 19 to Gaza.

In the last meeting held between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert last month, the latter accepted to release the 245 prisoners from Israeli jails as a goodwill gesture.

Israel also said that the release of the prisoners was a goodwill gesture on the occasion of the Moslems' holiday of Eid al- Adha. The release was postponed for several days for technical reasons, Israel said.

In spite of some Israeli ministers' opposition to the release of the 245 prisoners, Israel's Supreme Court denied a request to stop the release of the prisoners.

At Erez Crossing point, one of the 18 prisoners Ahmed Safi, aged 34, told reporters that he is happy that he was released from jail, but still sad for thousands of his colleagues who are still behind the bars.

Hamas movement, which ruled the Gaza Strip has meanwhile, welcomed the release of the prisoners, and said in a statement sent to reporters that the release of the prisoners "is a national and holy duty".

(Xinhua News Agency December 15, 2008)