Said Amuri and Esat Fırat
19 January 2025•Update: 20 January 2025
JERUSALEM
Israel announced that some Palestinian detainees slated for release under the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement in the Gaza Strip will be deported to reduce security risks.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday evening that Palestinians to be released would be sent abroad or to the Gaza Strip.
Referring to the detainees as "murderers," Netanyahu stated that they would "not be sent to the West Bank but will be sent to the Gaza Strip or abroad."
A list issued Friday morning by the Israeli Justice Ministry indicated that 735 Palestinians would be released, with over 180 of them are to be deported outside the country, in exchange for Israeli hostages held in Gaza.
The agreement does not specify the countries where deported prisoners will be sent, but Israeli media, including the country's public broadcaster KAN, reported that destinations might include Qatar or Egypt. Neither nation has officially confirmed it would accept the individuals released.
Under the agreement, Palestinian prisoners from Gaza will return to the Gaza Strip after their release.
However, the Israeli list indicates that many detainees accused of killing Israelis will be permanently deported.
Some prominent figures among the prisoners set for release and deportation include:
- Nail al-Bergusi, known as a leader of Palestinian detainees, imprisoned for over 45 years.
- Osman Bilal, a commander of Hamas’ military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, imprisoned for over 31 years.
- Bilal Ganem, accused of carrying out a 2015 armed attack in Jerusalem that caused 22 Israeli casualties.
- Abdunnasr Isa, a Hamas leader imprisoned for more than 30 years.
- Zekeriya Zubaydi, a leader of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades.
- Khalida Jarrar, a former member of the Palestinian Legislative Council and senior figure in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
Israel claims the deportation aims to minimize "security risks" the prisoners might pose if returned to the occupied West Bank.
The daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Tel Aviv decided to deport prisoners accused of killing Israelis to avoid future security threats.
However, another Israeli media outlet, Channel 13, citied security sources noting that deportation alone might not prevent these prisoners from resuming activities due to their ability to coordinate internationally.
So far, neither the Palestinian Prisoners’ Committee, part of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), nor any mediators have released the names of detainees set to be freed in the initial phase of the deal.
However, Qaddura Faris, head of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Committee, announced Friday that 1,737 Palestinians would be released in the first phase of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange.
Over the past 77 years, Israelis and Palestinians have struck nearly 40 prisoner exchange deals.
Ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas
Qatar, one of the mediator countries, announced on Jan. 15 that Israel and Hamas had reached a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement in Gaza.
The ceasefire agreement took effect at 11.15 a.m. local time (0915GMT) on Sunday after a few hours delay due to Israeli accusations for Hamas of delaying the release of a list of captives set to be released. It was originally scheduled to start on 8.30 a.m. local time.
It also guarantees extensive humanitarian aid delivery to the Gaza Strip and allows displaced Palestinians to return to their homes.
Details of the second and third phases will follow the completion of the first phase.
Nearly 47,000 people have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 110,700 others injured in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, according to local health authorities.
*Writing by Esra Tekin in Istanbul
