JERUSALEM

Israeli media has claimed that Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, will be one of the Palestinian prisoners set to be released on Saturday as part of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange.

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said in its report on Saturday that preparations are underway at Ofer Prison for the release of 369 prisoners, including 36 serving life sentences and 333 from Gaza, who were arrested after Oct. 7, 2023.

The report specifically mentioned Safiya, who was arrested in December last year.

The claims on Safiya came despite his name not being mentioned in the official release list published earlier by the Office of Prisoner Media, affiliated with Hamas, which included names of 369 Palestinian prisoners set to be released by Israel.

Safiya’s detention has sparked widespread outrage among health care workers, with many calling it a grim escalation in what they see as the systematic targeting of medical professionals in Gaza.

Earlier on Saturday, Hamas' military wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, and Islamic Jihad's military wing, Al-Quds Brigades, released three Israeli captives in eastern Khan Younis, southern Gaza.

In exchange, Israel released 10 Palestinian prisoners from the occupied West Bank and is expected to release up to 369 Palestinians on Saturday.

A ceasefire agreement took effect in Gaza on Jan. 19, halting Israel’s genocidal war, which has killed more than 48,200 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.