UPDATES WITH HAMAS STATEMENT; ADDS BACKGROUND
By Betul Yilmaz
ISTANBUL (AA) - The Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office published on Monday the lists of Palestinian prisoners to be released under the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
The office published the names of 1,718 Palestinian prisoners, and 250 serving life sentences, to be released in exchange for the Israeli hostages.
The process of the release of Israeli hostages began on Monday, according to the Red Cross.
The Palestinian group Hamas confirmed the release of Israeli hostages under the first phase of US President Donald Trump's plan to stop the war in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas reaffirmed its commitment to the implementation of its obligations under the agreement, and stressed that it is important that mediators ensure Israel’s compliance with the deal.
The group’s military wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, called the ceasefire agreement “the result of the steadfastness of our people, and the steadfastness of their resistance,” reiterating commitment to the timetables of the deal.
Trump announced Wednesday that Israel and Hamas had agreed to the first phase of his 20-point plan aimed at implementing a ceasefire in Gaza. The plan includes the release of all Israeli captives in exchange for around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip. The first phase took effect on Friday.
Phase two of the plan envisions the creation of a new governing body in Gaza, excluding Hamas, the deployment of a multinational force, and the disarmament of Hamas.
Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed more than 67,800 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them women and children, leaving the enclave largely uninhabitable.