Israel will release 737 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the first Israeli hostages in the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, approved today by the Israeli government, the Justice Ministry announced, quoted by Agence France-Presse, reported by BTA.
As part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Palestinian group "Hamas" in Gaza, "the government approves the release of 737 prisoners and detainees from the prison administration," the ministry said in a statement.
Among the prisoners to be released is the former leader of the armed wing of the "Fatah" party - "Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades" - Zakaria Zubeidi, responsible for several attacks against Israeli civilians. In 2021, he escaped from an Israeli prison, but was captured a few days later.
Yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that a deal had been reached to return the hostages held by "Hamas" in the Gaza Strip. Shortly after midnight today, the Israeli government approved the agreement with "Hamas" for a ceasefire and the release of hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
A statement released by Netanyahu's office said the plan to release the hostages would take effect tomorrow, January 19, 2025.
Yesterday, Israeli authorities also released the names of 95 Palestinian prisoners, most of them women and minors, who are scheduled to be released on Sunday as part of the first prisoner exchange under the ceasefire agreement with "Hamas".