DaysofPal- As part of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, many detained in Israeli prisons for years without charge, are poised for release and their first taste of freedom. Mediated by international parties in Doha, the deal marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing conflict.
The total number of prisoners to be released under the agreement remains unclear, as the official text of the deal has not yet been disclosed. Media reports suggest varying exchange ratios, depending on whether the Palestinian prisoners are serving life sentences or other terms.
Currently, 10,400 Palestinians are held in Israeli prisons, according to the Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society. This number does not include individuals detained from Gaza during the past 15 months of conflict.
On Sunday, if the deal’s implementation begins as planned, 95 Palestinian women and children will be among the first to be released, as announced by the Israeli Ministry of Justice. However, beyond this initial group, no other names of prisoners slated for release have been disclosed. According to the agreement’s outline, the release will commence at 4 p.m. local time (14:00 GMT).
In the first phase of the three-stage agreement, over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners will be exchanged for 33 of the remaining Israeli captives held in Gaza. Reports suggest that approximately 100 Israeli captives remain in the war-torn territory.
The terms of the agreement specify exchange ratios based on the prisoners’ sentences. For instance, 110 Palestinian prisoners sentenced to life terms will be exchanged for nine ill and wounded Israeli captives. Additionally, Israeli men over the age of 50 will be exchanged at a ratio of 1:3 for those serving life sentences and 1:27 for others.
Rights groups have raised concerns about the conditions faced by Palestinians in Israeli detention facilities. In August, Israeli rights group B’Tselem described these facilities as “torture camps” in a comprehensive report. Human Rights Watch also published alarming accounts in mid-2024, documenting systemic torture, rape, and the sharing of sexualized images of detainees, including children.
These revelations were corroborated by statements from Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s far-right minister overseeing the prison system. In July 2024, Ben-Gvir publicly acknowledged that reports about the “abominable conditions” faced by Palestinian prisoners were accurate.
More than 3,000 Palestinians are also detained in administrative detention, which is a practice in which people are detained without being given a trial or official charges.
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