Israeli Occupation authorities freed Palestinian Maher Younis on Thursday morning, after 40 years of captivity.

Israeli Occupation security minister Itamar Ben Gvir had ordered police to thwart any attempt to organize celebrations, Hebrew media reported.

Younis was transferred from the Negev Prison to the Ohalei Keidar detention center in Bir Saba' on Wednesday night. At the same time, Israeli Occupation police stormed the home of the Younis family to prevent celebrations of his release.

Younis hails from the village of Ara in the 1948 Palestinian territories, between Haifa and the West Bank. He was arrested in 1983.

His cousin Karim Younis, who had also spent four decades behind bars, was released earlier this month. Israeli Occupation forces similarly raided the ceremonies in Ara celebrating his return.