Israel to release 2,000 Palestinians from prisons in exchange for 33 hostages
Israel will release about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 33 Israeli hostages in the first phase of a ceasefire and hostage exchange deal with the Palestinian Hamas movement. This was reported by The Jerusalem Post on January 17.
In the first phase of the agreement, which will last 42 days, Hamas will release 33 Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip, first women and children, then female soldiers, men over 50 and young people defined as "humanitarian hostages." In return, Israel will release some 2,000 Hamas members, including some 250 Palestinians sentenced to life imprisonment.
The newspaper specified that none of the Hamas terrorists involved in the October 7, 2023 attack inside Israel will be released as part of the agreement.
Earlier in the day, The Jerusalem Post, citing the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reported the signing of the final version of the deal by representatives of Israel and Hamas in Doha.
The agreement on a ceasefire in Gaza became known on January 15. It is expected to take effect on January 19. In the first phase of 42 days, 33 Israeli hostages are to be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
The next day, the Israeli Defense Ministry and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) began preparations to implement the agreement. It was reported that the Department of Design and Construction and the Defense Ministry's Directorate of Checkpoints would be involved in expediting the logistics of implementing the deal.
Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a massive strike on the Gaza Strip, killing at least 30 Palestinians. Later, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office accused Hamas of backing out of part of the agreements and blackmail attempts. In turn, representatives of the movement said that the IDF struck the place where one of the hostages was.
The situation in the Middle East escalated on the morning of October 7, 2023, when the Palestinian radical movement Hamas subjected the territory of Israel to a massive rocket attack from the Gaza Strip. On the same day, Israel began retaliatory strikes.