Israel’s justice ministry published Friday a list of 250 prisoners to be released in exchange for hostages still held in Gaza, as part of a ceasefire deal with Hamas.
The list does not include the names of several senior Palestinian militant leaders seen as symbols of resistance and whose release Hamas has demanded.
Some of the Palestinian leaders serving life sentences in Israeli jails are Marwan Barghouti, Ahmad Saadat, Hassan Salameh and Abbas al-Sayyed.
Barghouti, who was sentenced to life in 2004 on murder charges and is considered a terrorist by Israel, is sometimes described by supporters as the “Palestinian Mandela”.
Israel and Hamas have agreed on the first phase of a Gaza ceasefire and hostage–prisoner exchange deal, based on a 20-point plan proposed by US President Donald Trump.
According to the plan, Israel will release 250 prisoners and around 1,700 Gazans detained since the war began following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
In return, Hamas will hand over 47 hostages still held from the 251 abducted during the attack two years ago. The remains of one more hostage, held in Gaza since 2014, are also expected to be returned.
The Israeli military had earlier said a ceasefire in Gaza took effect at 0900 GMT on Friday (5 pm Malaysian time), after Israel and Hamas agreed to a truce and hostage-release deal proposed by US President Donald Trump.
On Sept 29, Trump announced a new plan in a press conference at the White House alongside Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the conflict in Gaza. The plan led to talks between Hamas and Israel in Egypt to work out a ceasefire.
