More than a thousand Palestinian prisoners, many of whom have been held without charge for years in the Israeli prison system, are preparing for their first taste of freedom.

The exact number of Israeli prisoners held in Gaza released is unclear. The text of the ceasefire has not yet been released, and details in media reports describe varying proportions of prisoner exchanges depending on whether Palestinian prisoners are serving life sentences.

There are currently 10,400 Palestinians in Israeli prisons, excluding those detained from Gaza during the past 15 months of conflict, according to the Palestinian Commission for Detainees and Former Detainees and the Palestinian Prisoners Association.

Israel’s Justice Ministry released a list of 95 Palestinian women and children who would be released on Sunday if a ceasefire agreement comes into effect, but other than that, the names of the prisoners who would be released are not known.

They will not be released before 4pm local time on Sunday (14:00 GMT), according to the deal outline.

According to media reports, the list released by Israel shows that the vast majority of people were arrested after the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. Fewer than 10 people had been arrested before the attack.

first stage

In the first phase of a three-phase deal between Hamas and Israel, more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners will be exchanged for the remaining 33 Israeli captives, for a total estimated at around 100.

Under the terms of the deal, Palestinian prisoners will be released in exchange for Israeli captives in a ratio agreed between the two sides and international mediators in Doha.

According to reports, 110 Palestinian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by an Israeli court will be exchanged for nine sick and injured Israeli prisoners. Additionally, Israel will release men over 50 in exchange for Palestinian prisoners The ratio of those sentenced to life imprisonment is 1:3, and the ratio of those sentenced to life imprisonment is 1:27 For those serving other sentences.

former prisoner exchange

Prisoners have long been used as currency in Israel’s dealings with Palestinian groups.

period 2013 peace talks stalledIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the time that Israel had agreed to release more than 100 Palestinians in stages, a move aimed at strengthening negotiations.

However, More similar to current exchange This can be found in the 1983 prisoner exchange, when more than 4,500 Palestinian prisoners were released in exchange for six Israeli soldiers. Likewise, in 1985, approximately 1,150 Palestinian prisoners were exchanged for three Israeli soldiers. The current exchange is also similar in scope to the most famous prisoner swap, which involved the 2011 release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

Gilad Shalit Exchange

In 2011, 1,027 Palestinian prisoners were exchanged for Shalit. Shalit was captured by Hamas in a cross-border raid in 2006 and held for five years after negotiations for his release failed.

In 2014, the Israeli government admitted that it had rearrested 51 of the prisoners after they kidnapped and ultimately killed three Israeli teenagers in the occupied West Bank. When Netanyahu later explained the arrests, he made no attempt to link those arrested to the missing teenagers, saying only that their abductions sent an “important message” to Hamas.

high profile prisoners

Israeli Army Radio reported that Khalida Jarrar, leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in the occupied West Bank, was among the Palestinian prisoners set to be released on Sunday.

Palestinians have also called for the release of several other high-profile prisoners, including some serving life sentences.

Among them is one of the leaders of the Palestinian Fatah organization, Marwan Barghouti, Israeli authorities have repeatedly blocked his long-awaited release. Barghouti helped write the Palestinian Prisoner Papers in 2006, which united many disparate Palestinian factions, and his release could have important consequences for Palestinian politics, as this unifying figure has Won the top spot many times When Palestinians were asked who they would vote for in a future presidential election.

Representatives of Barghouti, including his family, contacted by Al Jazeera on Friday said that while they were hopeful, they had not yet received any information about his possible release.

Another high-profile Palestinian prisoner is PFLP leader Ahmed Saadat, who is accused by Israel of ordering the assassination of Israeli Tourism Minister Rehavam Ze’ evi), although the Department of Justice initially believed it was Insufficient evidence Accused him of murder.

What did the prisoners experience?

While it’s unclear where many of the prisoners scheduled for release are being held, rights groups have long expressed concerns about conditions within Israel’s prison system.

In August, Israeli human rights group B’Tselem published an extensive report detailing a network of Israeli detention facilities it calls “torture camps.” The global NGO Human Rights Watch also publish Reports in July and August about the Israeli prison system detailed rape, the sharing of sexual images of Palestinian prisoners, including children, and the systematic torture of detainees.

In July 2024, Israel’s minister in charge of the prison system and far-right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir, brag “All reports of the appalling conditions Palestinians are subjected to in Israeli prisons are true”.

More than 3,000 Palestinian prisoners are also held in the prison. administrative detentionmeaning they are being held without trial or charge.