Israeli authorities announced Wednesday that they had arrested 12 Palestinians in East Jerusalem for celebrating the release of prisoners over the weekend under the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal. The arrests were made late Tuesday following the circulation of videos earlier in the week,

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Israel is expected to release more than 100 Palestinian prisoners, including around 30 serving life sentences, in what would be the third exchange of the Gaza cease-fire.

The Israeli Parliament voted in favour of banning the United Nations' aid programme to Palestinians three months ago, claiming "UNRWA is Hamas".

Israel demands UNRWA halt operations in Jerusalem by January 30, citing Hamas ties and security risks. The move follows Knesset legislation severing ties with the agency.

The United Nation's Palestinian refugee agency said on Sunday it had been ordered by Israel to vacate premises and cease all of its operations in occupied East Jerusalem by Thursday.

The directive came in a letter to the U.N., after the Israeli Parliament banned the relief agency that has aided Palestinian refugees for decades.

The talks on where to send the released terrorists are reportedly being conducted in full coordination with Jerusalem.

In the Shuafat refugee camp, a hardscrabble district in east Jerusalem surrounded by a hulking concrete wall, intense security checks make venturing out exasperating.

Steven Witkoff, who played an important role in brokering the truce between Israel and Hamas, also met with Israel’s prime minister and visited Saudi Arabia.