Israel Prepares To Free Hundreds Of Palestinian Prisoners, Seeks To Block 'Public Displays Of Joy'

1,700 Palestinians held captive in Israeli prisons and 33 Israelis held captive in Gaza are set to be released in phases starting Sunday

The Israel Prisons Service (IPS) began the process on 17 January to release over 1,700 Palestinian prisoners as part of the ceasefire and prisoner-swap deal with Hamas that is set to take effect Sunday, 19 January.

The Times of Israel reported that according to a leaked copy of the agreement, the Palestinian prisoners to be freed include 700 resistance fighters, 250-300 of whom are serving life terms; 1,000 Palestinians from Gaza abducted by Israeli forces since 8 October 2023; and 47 re-detained prisoners from the 2011 Gilad Shalit deal.

The IPS said in a statement it was preparing for the release of prisoners in exchange for Israelis held in Gaza, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Office said could begin on Sunday.

The statement added the IPS is taking measures to prevent any “public displays of joy” when Palestinian prisoners are released.

“The commissioner of the Israel Prison Service, Kobi Yakobi, instructed that … to prevent public displays of joy in Ashkelon and other areas of Israel, the escort from ‘Shikma’ Prison will not be handled by civilian buses of the [International Committee of the] Red Cross,” the statement says.

At the same time, Israeli authorities have notified the families of the 33 Israeli captives expected to be released in the first phase of the deal.

Those on the list, to be returned over a period of 42 days, are so-called “humanitarian” cases: women, children, elderly individuals, and the infirm. The remaining captives are soldiers.

The order of release is not yet known. The identities of those set to return are expected to be provided 24 hours before each release.

The schedule for the release will see three Israeli captives returned on the first day of the ceasefire and four more returned on the seventh day. Subsequently, three captives will be returned every week for a period of four weeks. Finally, 14 captives will be returned on the final, sixth week of phase one.

Beyond the 33 on the list, Hamas holds 65 more captives, many of whom are no longer alive. Many of the 251 captives taken by Hamas on 7 October 2023 have been killed by the same Israeli bombing that has killed over 46,000 Palestinians since the start of the war.

These are to be returned as part of a second phase of a deal – if it materializes. The second phase is intended to lead to a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

However, it is unclear if Israel will allow a second phase ending the war to be reached. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is opposed to the deal, while Daniel Levy, a former Israeli negotiator, told Al-Jazeera that Netanyahu “wanted perpetual war” and is likely to continue provocations to try to “upend” the ceasefire.

“We can expect ongoing efforts to goad and provoke the unraveling of this deal. We'll see, I'm sure, ugly things going on in the West Bank and East Jerusalem” as well as “aggression against UNRWA,” Levy said. “This is a fragile place to be.”

🔗SOURCE ➡️ The Cradle

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