Israel approves release of 737 prisoners in first phase of Gaza cease-fire deal
A boy runs with a Palestinian flag atop a mound of rubble at a camp for people displaced by conflict in Bureij in the central Gaza Strip on January 17, 2025. (AFP Photo)
Israeli Justice Ministry announced Saturday that 737 prisoners and detainees would be released in the first phase of a cease-fire and hostage exchange deal brokered with Hamas.
The agreement, approved earlier that day by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet, marks a significant step toward implementing the truce after weeks of intense conflict.
After the release of 737 Palestinian prisoners, Israel is required to release an additional 1,240 detainees, bringing the total to 1,977, in exchange for 33 Israeli hostages, as per the agreement.
In a statement posted on its website, the ministry confirmed that “the government approves” the release of the prisoners, currently in the custody of the Israeli Prison Service.
Palestinian detainees are not be released before Sunday
The detainees, including men, women, and children, will not be freed before 4 p.m. local time on Sunday, the statement added.
Among the high-profile individuals set for release is Zakaria Zubeidi, a leader of the armed wing of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party.
Zubeidi gained notoriety after escaping from Gilboa prison in 2021, an incident that led to a massive manhunt and elevated his status among Palestinians.
Khalida Jarar, a prominent leftist Palestinian lawmaker affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), is also on the list. Jarar, 60, has faced multiple arrests by Israeli authorities and has been detained without charge since December in the occupied West Bank.
95 Palestinian prisoners are set to be released, primarily women
Earlier, the Israeli Justice Ministry released a list of 95 Palestinian prisoners slated for release, primarily women, as part of the deal to secure the return of Israeli captives held in Gaza. The broader list now reflects an expanded scope of the agreement.
Sources close to Hamas told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the first group of hostages to be released will include three Israeli women soldiers.
However, Hamas broadly refers to any Israeli of military age who has completed mandatory service as a soldier, which could also apply to civilians taken during the October attack that escalated the conflict.
According to a list obtained by AFP, the initial group of 33 hostages consists of women under 30 who were not serving in the military on the day of the attack.
