We now have a list of Palestinian prisoners set to be released today as part of the second phase of the prisoner exchange. Below are all the latest updates on this developing story.
Zakaria Zubeidi, a former leader of the Fatah Party’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, is reportedly among the second group of Palestinian detainees who will be released on Saturday as part of a truce agreement between Hamas and Israel.
On Friday, Israeli occupation forces stormed his home in the Jenin refugee camp and harassed members of his family, reported the Anadolu news agency. Zubeidi’s wife and 14-year-old son Ayham were handcuffed by the Israeli forces and the family was ordered not to celebrate his release.
Israeli occupation forces raid Palestinian resistance icon Zakaria Zubeidi’s home ahead of his release
The expected release of Zubeidi, who comes from the Jenin Refugee Camp, is scheduled to take place tomorrow. This comes amidst an ongoing joint Israeli-PA assault against… pic.twitter.com/G9p6In3r6f
— MintPress News (@MintPressNews) January 24, 2025
The Jenin area is under an Israeli military siege which began on Tuesday. Since then 12 Palestinians have been killed and several wounded in addition to homes and infrastructure having been destroyed by the Israeli army. Some 2,000 residents have been forced to flee the area.
On September 6, 2021, Zubeidi along with five other Palestinian detainees escaped from the high-security Gilboa prison by digging a tunnel from their cell to outside the prison, reported Anadolu. Israeli forces, however, managed to recapture them all after almost a week.
Senior Resistance Figures
Also scheduled for release is Ahmed al-Barghouthi, the former commander of Fatah’s military wing in the Ramallah area, according to the Israeli public broadcaster KAN, reported Anadolu. Barghouthi was sentenced to 13 life sentences for killing 12 Israelis in 2016.
Wael Qasem, a leader within the Hamas-affiliated Silwan cell, is another prominent detainee slated for release.
Zakaria Zubeidi, Other Key Figures Included in Israel’s Release of 735 Palestinian Prisoners
The Israeli prison authority said in a statement on Friday that it is “preparing operationally and logistically” to implement the plan for the release of the detainees, per political agreements, reported Anadolu.
It noted that it received “the list of security prisoners” expected to be released from prisons.
The statement added that following the completion of the required administrative procedures, Israeli forces would transfer detainees to the main gathering centers in the Ofer Prison in the central occupied West Bank and Negev Prison in southern Israel.
Four Female Israeli Soldiers
On Saturday, Palestinian Resistance groups released four Israeli female soldiers from Gaza City.
The head of the Palestinian Commission of Detainees’ Affairs, Qadoura Fares, left for Cairo on Friday to take part in receiving several Palestinian detainees who will be deported, reported Anadolu.
Abu Obeida: Four Israeli Soldiers to Be Released under Ceasefire Deal
Under the ceasefire terms, Israel must release 50 Palestinian detainees in exchange for the release of a female soldier. The 50 detainees should include 30 Palestinians serving life-term sentences and 20 others who were given high-term sentences.
Saturday’s exchange is expected to see the release of four Israeli female soldiers and 200 Palestinians from Israeli jails.
Last Sunday Israel released 90 Palestinian detainees, mainly women and children, while Hamas released three Israeli detainees.
Staggering Death Toll
The first six-week phase of the truce has suspended Israel’s genocidal war that has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since October 2023.
‘Traumatized Generation’ – One Million Gaza Children Require Mental Health Support
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, at least 47,035 Palestinians have been killed, and 111,091 wounded. The toll is expected to rise further, with at least 11,000 people still unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes across Gaza.
The war, which Palestinians call “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood,” began after a military operation carried out by Hamas on Israeli territory. Israel reports that 1,139 of its soldiers and civilians were killed during the initial attack on October 7. However, Israeli media have raised concerns that a significant number of Israeli casualties were caused by ‘friendly fire’ during the assault.
Millions Displaced
Human rights organizations, both Palestinian and international, have reported that the overwhelming majority of the casualties in Gaza are women and children. The ongoing violence has also exacerbated an acute famine, with thousands of children among the dead, highlighting the severity of the humanitarian disaster.
Displaced Palestinians gather to receive food from a charity kitchen in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/kXmiQc2P3E
— Eye on Palestine (@EyeonPalestine) January 24, 2025
The war has displaced nearly two million people from their homes across Gaza, with the majority of the displaced forced into the already overcrowded southern region of the Strip. The population in Gaza remains trapped in the ongoing conflict, with little access to basic necessities such as food, water, and medical care.
(PC, Anadolu)
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