Over 600 Palestinian Prisoners Released in Latest Stage of Prisoner Exchange Agreement

IQNA – More than 600 Palestinian prisoners were freed early Thursday morning as part of the seventh group released under the first phase of a prisoner exchange agreement between Palestinian resistance groups and the Israeli regime.

The freed prisoners were welcomed by various Palestinian factions as they arrived in Gaza and Ramallah. 

According to local media reports, the release process began after the bodies of four Israeli captives were handed over to Israeli authorities.

The exchange, which took place overnight, marks the final group of releases in the initial phase of the agreement. 

The release of the Palestinian prisoners was contingent upon the delivery of the bodies of the four Israeli prisoners in Gaza. The bodies were handed over to the Red Cross in Khan Younis, while the 600 Palestinian prisoners were prepared for release from Israeli prisons.

Israeli occupation authorities had conditioned the prisoners’ release on the identification of the bodies and necessary medical examinations. 

Meanwhile, Al Jazeera reported that Israeli authorities have suspended the release of 24 Palestinian child prisoners until the identities of the four deceased Israeli captives are confirmed.

The list of freed Palestinian prisoners includes 151 individuals serving life sentences or long-term prison sentences exceeding 15 years. Of these, 43 were transferred to the West Bank and al-Quds, while 97 others are set to be deported outside Palestine.

Additionally, 11 prisoners from Gaza, detained before October 7, were released. The group also includes 445 prisoners arrested in Gaza after the recent conflict and 24 women and children. 

According to the Palestinian Information Center, 12 buses and several ambulances entered Khan Younis, transporting 445 of the released prisoners. Meanwhile, Israeli authorities transferred 97 Palestinian prisoners, who are to be deported outside the occupied territories, to Egypt. 

Over all, the first phase saw Hamas handing over 33 captives, including eight bodies, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

As the ceasefire deal nears its expiration next Saturday, there is uncertainty over whether an extension would be agreed on or if negotiations for a second phase of the deal would commence amid Tel Aviv’s dilatory and obstructionist efforts.

A potential next phase could involve release of the remaining 59 Israeli captives, who are held in Gaza.

It is also expected to feature a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and complete cessation of the regime’s aggression against the coastal territory.

Source: Agencies