1,977 Palestinian Prisoners To Be Exchanged 33 Israelis In Gaza

JAKARTA - A total of 1,977 Palestinian prisoners, including 290 people serving life sentences and another 1,687 detained on charges, will be released by Israel as part of a prisoner swap deal and a ceasefire in Gaza.

The deal will take effect on Sunday (19/1), according to Israeli media reports.

Tel Aviv will release the Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 33 Israeli hostages currently detained in the Gaza Strip, as reported by Yedioth Ahronoth daily.

The deal includes the release of 1,000 Palestinian prisoners detained after October 7, 2023, as well as 47 detainees who were re-arrested despite being released in a 2011 prisoner swap deal.

The exchange will take place in seven stages during the first 42 days, according to the agreement.

Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Friday that the first day of the deal would witness the release of three Israeli hostages, followed by four hostages on the seventh day, and three hostages each on the 14th day, 21, 28, and 35.

The last group of 14 hostages will be released in the final week of the first phase.

As reported by ANTARA from Anadolu, Friday, January 17, a statement from the office of the leader of the Israeli authorities confirmed that the exchange process is expected to begin on Sunday after approval by the Security Cabinet and the government.

Israel's Ministry of Justice and then Israel's Prison Service will issue a list of detainees to be released in the first phase of the deal.

According to the Palestinian Prisoners Affairs Commission, Israel has currently detained 10,400 Palestinians, including 600 people who are serving life sentences.

Last Wednesday night, Qatar announced a three-phase ceasefire agreement to end Israel's more than 15-month deadly attack on the Gaza Strip, with a ceasefire scheduled for Sunday.

Nearly 46,800 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed and more than 110,000 others injured in the Israeli genocide war in Gaza since October 7, 2023, according to local health authorities.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant in November against Israeli authority leader Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense chief Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel is also facing a genocide lawsuit at the International Court (ICJ) over its Palestinian war.