ISRAEL freed more than 300 Palestinian prisoners yesterday, delivering them into the arms of waiting families in near-simultaneous releases across the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The first group of more than 300 Palestinian prisoners being released by Israel was driven to freedom today.

Some 200 Palestinians who were holed up in the offices of West Bank Preventive Security Service chief Jibril Rajoub in Beitunya, west of Ramallah, surrendered to Israeli defence force troops this afternoon, according to reports.