Israel’s justice ministry has confirmed that 737 Palestinian prisoners and detainees are set to be released as part of the initial phase of a truce deal. None of the prisoners will be freed before 4:00 pm local time on Sunday (Jan 18).
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“The government has approved the hostage return plan,” announced the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday following a cabinet vote.
Prominent names on the list:
Zakaria Zubeidi
Zakaria Zubeidi, a former commander of Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades in Jenin, is among those to be released. Zubeidi was part of the 2021 Gilboa Prison escape, during which six prisoners broke out of a high-security facility.
Mahmoud Atallah
Another detainee set for release is Mahmoud Atallah, who is serving a life sentence plus 15 years for murdering a Palestinian woman accused of collaborating with Israel. Atallah was also charged in September with the rape of a female prison guard in the “prison pimping” case.
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Ahmed Barghouti
Ahmed Barghouti, a close associate of Marwan Barghouti, will also be released. Marwan Barghouti is serving 13 life sentences, and Ahmed was arrested alongside him in 2002. As the operational commander of Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, Ahmed supplied weapons and was involved in orchestrating multiple fatal attacks. These include the 2002 bombing at Tel Aviv’s “Seafood Market” restaurant, which left three Israelis dead and 30 injured, a February 2002 attack in Jerusalem’s Neve Yaakov neighbourhood that killed a policewoman and injured nine, and a bombing on Jaffa Street in Jerusalem that claimed the lives of two women.
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Wael Qassem and Wisam Abbasi
Also included in the release are Wael Qassem and Wisam Abbasi, members of the Hamas “Silwan Cell.” Both men were linked to bombings in the early 2000s that resulted in dozens of casualties. Their attacks included incidents at Café Moment in Jerusalem, the Sheffield Club in Rishon Lezion, and the Frank Sinatra Cafeteria at Hebrew University.
The Israel Prison Service said on Friday that it is taking measures to block public displays of celebration during the prisoners’ release. “The commissioner of the Israel Prison Service, Kobi Yakobi, instructed that… to prevent public displays of joy in Ashkelon and other areas of Israel, the escort from ‘Shikma’ Prison will not be handled by civilian buses of the [International Committee of the] Red Cross,” the statement said.
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According to Majed Al Ansari, a spokesperson for Qatar’s foreign ministry, the ceasefire is set to begin at 8:30 am local time on Sunday. This will mark the second ceasefire since the war started on 7 October 2023.
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(With inputs from agencies)