'Israel' to release 90 Palestinians in exchange for 3 captives in Gaza

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies + News websites
31 Jan 2025 23:31

The released group will include 81 Palestinian prisoners serving long sentences and nine prisoners sentenced to life.

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A crowd welcomes Palestinians formerly imprisoned by "Israel" as they arrive in a Red Cross convoy to Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on January 30, 2025. (AFP)

90 Palestinian prisoners and detainees are set to be released from Israeli occupation prisons on Saturday, February 1, as part of the fourth batch of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement, the Palestinian Commission for Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) stated.

According to the Commission and the PPS, the released group will include 81 prisoners serving long sentences and nine prisoners sentenced to life.

The statement noted that the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate has decided to relocate the reception site for the freed prisoners from the Ramallah Recreational Complex to the open square in front of the Ramallah Cultural Palace and the mausoleum of poet Mahmoud Darwish.

In exchange for the release of these 90 prisoners and detainees, the Palestinian Resistance will hand over three Israeli captives in Gaza—Ofer Calderon, Keith Siegel (a dual Israeli-US citizen), and Yarden Bibas—according to a statement by Abu Obeida, the spokesperson for Hamas' al-Qassam Brigades.

In previous exchanges, the Resistance has handed over Israeli captives at various locations in Gaza, with fighters from multiple factions participating in the handovers amid large crowds waving resistance flags and images of martyrs.

As part of the agreement that ended the war on the Gaza Strip, the Israeli occupation has released dozens of Palestinian prisoners, particularly those serving lengthy sentences or life terms. In the most recent batch, 110 Palestinian prisoners and detainees were freed from Israeli prisons, including 32 sentenced to life, 48 serving various sentences, and 30 minors.

Among those released in the third batch was Zakaria al-Zubaidi, one of the heroes of the 2021 Operation Freedom Tunnel, as well as commander Mohammad Atiya Abu Warda, whom "Israel" considers one of the most dangerous freed prisoners, and Rashid al-Risheq, accused of planning the assassination of Israeli Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

Hamas turns captives release scenes into humiliation for 'Israel': WSJ

Hamas used the prisoner-captive exchange deal as a spectacle to assert its control over the Gaza Strip, sending a clear message that "Israel" is powerless to stop it, a Wall Street Journal report on Friday highlighted.

The WSJ wrote that the pattern began two weeks ago when the first Israeli captives were released as part of the ceasefire agreement.

Armed Hamas fighters released captives on Thursday in front of the rubble of martyr Yahya al-Sinwar's house.

According to The Wall Street Journal report, this time, the captives faced difficulties exiting Hamas vehicles as crowds gathered again to receive and photograph them. The Red Cross vehicles were not present, leaving the captives to navigate through the crowds with their armed militants providing protection.

Regional analysts say Hamas has turned each round of captive releases in Gaza into a more complex event, using it as a display of power to humiliate the Israeli occupation.

According to the report, "Israel" responded angrily to the spectacle, announcing it would not release 110 Palestinian detainees as agreed in the deal. However, mediators, including the US envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, quickly intervened to ensure the agreement remained intact. Ultimately, "Israel" released the detainees.

With its military operations paused and troops positioned on Gaza's outskirts, "Israel" has little ability to stop Hamas from turning captive releases into public displays.

That said, Hugh Lovatt, a senior fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, noted that Hamas aims to "demonstrate its strength and prestige in Gaza."