JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's prison service says it has released Palestinian protest icon Ahed Tamimi.

Spokesman Assaf Librati says Tamimi and her mother Nariman were released early on Sunday. They are being transferred by the army to the Palestinians territories. The 17-year-old served an eight-month prison term for slapping and kicking Israeli soldiers.

Easily recognizable by her unruly mop of curly red hair, she has become for many a symbol of resistance to Israel's half-century-old military occupation.

In Israel, she is seen by many as either as a provocateur, an irritation or a threat to the military's deterrence policy.

Supporters are preparing a festive homecoming for Tamimi in her West Bank village of Nabi Saleh later this morning.

Her family's home has been decorated with Palestinian flags and hundreds of chairs await well-wishers.