Yemenis in Sanaa, the national capital, said they welcome the largest prisoner exchange deal between the government and the Houthi group involving around 1,750 detainees from both sides following months of UN-sponsored negotiations held in Jordan.
Signing of the deal was announced by Yemen's internationally recognized government on Thursday.
The agreement, reached during talks in the Jordanian capital of Amman, includes the release of detainees linked to the Yemeni government, the Houthis, allied military formations, and members of the Saudi Arabia-led coalition, according to statements issued by the two sides.
"We are happy about the prisoner agreement, as it is a positive initiative. We hope an agreement can be reached to release all prisoners. This is the surprise we have been waiting for," said Haitham Al-Ghabari, a Sanaa resident.
"We hope there will be an agreement to release all prisoners, that the war will end, and that we can live as brothers and stand united," said Ali Al-Wadaei, another resident.
Observers said efforts to advance the prisoner exchange deal reflect broader international attempts to preserve the fragile calm and prevent the region from slipping into wider escalation.
"The United Nations and the international community are strongly pushing to help resolve the Yemen crisis and its outstanding issues, in order to protect international security in general, because Yemen is located along a highly important international waterway represented by the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Red Sea," he said.
The government delegation said the agreement forms the first phase of a broader "all-for-all" prisoner exchange arrangement reached during negotiations in Oman's capital Muscat in December 2025.
Efforts would continue to secure the release of all remaining detainees as part of ongoing initiatives to resolve one of the conflict's most sensitive humanitarian issues, according to the government delegation.
Yemen has been gripped by conflict since late 2014 when Houthis seized control of the capital Sanaa, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene the following year in support of the internationally recognized government.
A UN-mediated truce between the Yemeni government and the Houthis, brokered in April 2022, lasted six months before expiring. However, both sides have largely maintained a "de facto ceasefire" since then.
The last major UN-mediated detainees swap between the two sides took place in 2023, with around 900 detainees released.
Yemenis welcome deal on largest prisoner exchange
Yemenis welcome deal on largest prisoner exchange
