Israel will release 602 Palestinian prisoners today, including 50 Palestinians sentenced to life in prison, while Hamas will free six Israeli hostages.
The prisoner releases are a key part of the first phase of the swap deal, which came after Palestinian groups submitted the names of six Israeli hostages scheduled for release today.
A statement from the Media Office confirmed that, in addition to the 50 Palestinians with life sentences and 60 with “high security sentences”, 47 Palestinians who were previously released under the 2011 “Shalit deal” but were rearrested will also be released.
445 Palestinians from Gaza who were detained after October 7, 2023, will also be released.
Hamas’s military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, announced yesterday the names of six Israeli hostages who will be released today as part of the seventh round of prisoner swaps.
So far, Israel has received 19 hostages and four bodies. It will receive six more hostages today, while four bodies are expected to be handed over next week, concluding the first phase of the deal.
In return, Israel has already released 1,135 Palestinian prisoners, including dozens who were serving life sentences.
However, the start of negotiations on the second phase of the deal, originally scheduled for February 3, has been postponed by Israel.
The ceasefire agreement came into effect last month, ending a war that has killed at least 48,300 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.
In November last year, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide charge before the International Court of Justice over the Gaza war, AA writes.
