Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, praised the steadfastness of the Palestinian Resistance, describing it as “always steadfast and victorious.” He said that the massive public welcome for freed Palestinian prisoners reflects the movement’s deep popular support.

In a post on his X account on Monday, Larijani wrote, “The enthusiastic and grand welcome ceremony for the released prisoners, organized by the brave and oppressed Palestinian people, demonstrated which side is victorious!”

He added that “the Zionist regime is now seeing through the images how, after two years of brutal massacres, the status of Hamas and the Resistance has been elevated in the hearts of the people.”

مراسم استقبال پرشور و با عظمت مردم شجاع و مظلوم فلسطین از زندانیان آزاد شده، نشان داد کدام طرف پیروز است!
رژیم صهیونیستی اکنون در تصاویر می‌بیند که پس از دو سال کشتار وحشیانه، جایگاه حماس و مقاومت در قلب مردم چگونه ارتقا یافته است.

مقاومت همواره پایدار است و پیروز.

— Ali Larijani | علی لاریجانی (@alilarijani_ir) October 13, 2025

Larijani reaffirmed that “the Resistance is always steadfast and victorious,” underscoring what he described as the failure of the Israeli regime to achieve its military objectives in Gaza.

Hamas hails prisoner release as national milestone

The Palestinian Resistance Movement, Hamas, congratulated the newly freed Palestinian prisoners and their families, describing their liberation from “Israel’s” prisons as a “bright national milestone” in the ongoing struggle for freedom and independence.

In a statement issued on Monday, Hamas said that Operation Flood of the Free represented a historic national achievement that reflects the unity of the Palestinian people and reaffirms that adherence to resistance and national rights remains the only path toward liberation, return, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

The movement added that the scenes of joy among the families of freed prisoners across Gaza and the occupied West Bank filled hearts and streets alike, despite the pain and wounds left by war. Hamas described this collective celebration as “a testament to the strength and resilience of our people, unbroken by the crimes of the enemy.”

Hamas stressed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his “extremist gang,” including Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, could not “strip our people of their joy in the Resistance’s achievement through the Flood of the Free, which was baptized in blood and sacrifice, shattered their arrogance, and foiled their schemes.” The statement described the event as a key milestone in the continuous journey toward full liberation.

2,000 prisoners released

Palestine's Prisoners' Information Office confirmed that the first of 38 buses carrying Palestinian detainees from Gaza has departed en route to the Strip, marking a significant phase in the large-scale exchange deal underway as part of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

According to the media director of the Prisoners' Affairs Office, several detainees who have spent decades behind bars are among those being freed. A total of 154 prisoners will travel abroad, while others will return to their homes in the West Bank, occupied al-Quds, and Gaza.

The director noted that the occupation attempted to evade its obligations under the agreement, as it has in previous deals. However, the Palestinian Resistance insisted on confirming the agreed-upon names, including long-term detainees and those captured from Gaza. "We made improvements to the list of prisoners, especially those detained from the Gaza Strip," it added.

In Khan Younis, Al Mayadeen’s correspondent reported that large crowds gathered to welcome the liberated detainees, with flags of Hamas and Islamic Jihad raised in celebration. Meanwhile, in the West Bank, buses carrying released detainees arrived in Ramallah, where people assembled at the Ramallah Cultural Palace to greet them.