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Israel has begun the release of more than 200 imprisoned Palestinians as a gesture of support towards Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president.

Most of those being released on Monday were affliated with Abbas’ Fatah party.

After a last-minute legal snag, the men began arriving just after noon (1000 GMT) at the West Bank’s Beitunia checkpoint.

They were also expected at the Erez crossing, for those from the Gaza Strip.

Israeli prison authorities had originally said 228 Palestinian prisons would be released, with at least 18 of them heading to Gaza.

Four of those men, however, were no longer going to be freed, Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh, reporting from the Beitunia, said.

“We’ve been reminded repeatedly today that almost 11,000 Palestinians remain behind Israeli bars,” she said

“So a bittersweet moment, not just for Palestinians across the board, but even for those waiting for their loved ones [at Beitunia], knowing that their friends are still behind bars.”

Israel’s supreme court approved the release on Monday, several hours after the plan was thrown into doubt by judges who had ordered the release delayed until the state replied to a petition against it.