A Palestinian man holds a child on the bus window after his release from an Israeli jail at a check point near West bank town of Tulkarem February 21. (Reuters)

Israel started to release the first group of 500 Palestinian prisoners early Monday. (Xinhua)

Israel started to release the first group of 500 Palestinian prisoners early Monday. The move aimed to end a four-year bloodshed and bolsterpeace efforts with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. (Xinhua)

Israeli soldiers guard as Palestinian prisoners arrive at the west bank village of Idna near Hebron after their release by Israel, Feb. 21. (Xinhua)

Palestinian prisoners flash victory signs from an Israeli bus on their way out from Ketziot jail in Israel Feb. 21. (Xinhua)

    JERUSALEM, Feb. 21 (Xinhuanet) -- Israel started to release the first group of 500 Palestinian prisoners early Monday, Israel radio reported.

    The move, which was promised by Israel at the Israeli-Palestinian summit held at Egypt's Red Sea resort Sharm el-Sheikh earlier this month, aimed to end a four-year bloodshed and bolsterpeace efforts with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

    Fourteen buses carried manacled Palestinians from an Israeli jail at Ketziot, in southern Israel's Negev desert, to be freed among 500 prisoners in the largest release for nearly a decade.

    Israeli military officials said all 500 Palestinian prisoners were expected to have been delivered to crossing points on the edges of the Gaza Strip and West Bank. However, Israel has insisted it would refused to release those Palestinians who were involved in attacks which caused Israeli casualties.

    Israel is planning to release another 400 prisoners within the next three months. A joint Israeli-Palestinian ministerial committee will decide prisoners released in the second round. Enditem