Israel begins release of 26 Palestinian prisoners JERUSALEM,-- Israel started the release of 26 Palestinian prisoners on Monday evening, as it released eight of them heading to the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem from the Ofer prison in the West Bank, as part of the on-going peace talks. Three of the eight prisoners are making their ways to the Hamas- ruled Gaza Strip via the Erez Crossing, while the other five are returning to their homes in east Jerusalem, spokesperson of Israeli Prison Service Sivan Weizmann confirmed to Xinhua. The remaining 18 prisoners would be released to nearby Ramallah via the Ofer Camp Crossing at approximately midnight. This is the third release out of four batches involving 104 Palestinians that will be freed from Israeli jails before the April deadline the United States set for Israel and Palestine to conclude their peace talks. Earlier in the day, more than 100 Israeli families whose loved ones were killed in the militant attacks carried out by the Palestinian prisoners staged protests at the entrance to Jerusalem and the prime minister's office to try to prevent the release of the 26 Palestinian prisoners.