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Israel Frees Palestinian Prisoners as Part of Hezbollah Deal


Israel has released five Palestinian prisoners as part of a prisoner exchange with Lebanon's Hezbollah militia.

The Israeli cabinet approved the release earlier this week.

Prison officials say the five prisoners were all under the age of 18. They were jailed for minor offenses such as throwing stones at Israelis.

The release of the Palestinians marks the final stage of an agreement last month in which Israel freed five Lebanese prisoners and returned the remains of nearly 200 Arab fighters in exchange for the bodies of two Israeli soldiers.

The two soldiers were captured by Hezbollah in a raid that triggered the 2006 war between Israel and the militant group.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.

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