Israel publishes list of 250 Palestinian prisoners to be released as part of Gaza deal

Israel published the names of 250 Palestinian security prisoners it has agreed to release as part of the Gaza ceasefire-hostage deal on Friday, and authorities started notifying the families whose loved ones’ killers are set to go free. The list was published after the cabinet approved the US-backed ceasefire deal, and it includes members of the Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Fatah, and Popular Front terror groups, responsible for dozens of deadly terror attacks. However, it does not include the name of Marwan Barghouti, though his release was demanded by Hamas. Hamas’s Prisoners’ Ministry said there was no agreement yet on the identities of the prisoners to be freed, and the Qatari-owned network Al Araby TV said, citing sources, that the list omitted some names that mediators had agreed on.

In addition to the 250 prisoners, Israel will release 1,722 Gazans, including 22 minors, detained amid the Gaza war who were not involved in the Hamas-led onslaught on October 7, 2023.

Of the 1,722 Gazans, 1,411 are in Israeli Prison Service custody, and 311 are in IDF custody.

Israel will also return bodies of 360 Gazan terrorists

Israel will also return the bodies of 360 Gazan terrorists. On Thursday, Hebrew media reported that Israel had rejected the demand of Hamas to return the bodies of the brothers Yahya and Mohammed Sinwar, who led Hamas and were killed by Israel.

Israel will release the prisoners and the bodies only after Hamas releases all remaining 48 hostages, including 20 who are alive, 26 confirmed dead, and two for whose lives there is grave concern. The hostages include 47 of the 251 abducted in the October 7 invasion and the remains of a soldier killed fighting in the 2014 Gaza war.

Hamas was given 72 hours to release the hostages after the IDF completed its initial withdrawal. However, Hamas has said it would need more than 72 hours to unearth the remains of slain hostages.

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‘Barghouti potential successor to President Abbas,’ say reports

The list shared by Israel did not include the name of Marwan Barghouti, though his release was demanded by Hamas. Hamas’s leadership had told interlocutors this week that “Barghouti’s fate remains absolutely central to these talks,” a source familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel.

The 66-year-old has been described as a potential successor to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, as he has appeal among broad swaths of the Palestinian population while maintaining support for a two-state solution.

Dani Dagan, whose father, Yossi Avrahami, was murdered in the 2022 Ramallah lynch, told Channel 12 that she has “very mixed feelings” about the prisoners’ release.

“But as far as I’m concerned, there’s no doubt that everyone needs to come home—the living [hostages] to their families, their children, their parents, and the dead to a proper burial,” she added.

Meanwhile, thousands of Palestinians have started returning to Gaza City, weeks after fleeing the Israeli offensive that turned much of the city into rubble. Many of them were travelling on foot for more than 20 km, carrying whatever belongings were left. Majoirty of them appeared exhausted, weak, and malnourished after months of displacement, hunger, and fear.