Israel Prepares to Release 1,700 Palestinians in the First Phase of Gaza Agreement

The Times of Israel reported on Friday that the Israeli Prison Service announced its readiness to release 1,700 Palestinians in the first phase of a detainee exchange agreement and a ceasefire in Gaza.

According to the statements, among those to be released are 250 to 300 Palestinian security prisoners serving life sentences.

The Prison Service noted that 47 of those to be released in the first batch had been rearrested after being freed in the 2011 Gilad Shalit exchange deal. Israel will also release 1,000 Gaza residents who were arrested after October 2023.

The newspaper added that Israel, and not the Red Cross, will handle the transportation of those released in the first batch "to ensure compliance with the prohibition on expressing joy in Israeli territory." Meanwhile, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Friday that Hamas is expected to release the first group of hostages on Sunday.

If the truce succeeds, it will end the fighting that has lasted for 15 months, devastated large parts of the Gaza Strip, killed over 46,000 people, and displaced most of the population, which numbered 2.3 million before the war, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.