Israel released 183 Palestinian prisoners on Saturday, following the return of three Israeli hostages who had been held in Gaza by Hamas since October 7.
According to Palestinian authorities, 18 of those freed were serving life sentences, while over 100 were from the Gaza Strip, detained after October 7, 2023, and held without trial.
Under the agreement, Israel released 30 prisoners, including three serving life sentence, for each of the hostages Keith Siegel and Ofer Kalderon. Additionally, 12 prisoners serving life sentences were freed in exchange for Yarden Bibas.
Beyond these releases, Israel has committed to freeing more than 1,000 Gazan detainees as part of the broader deal.
On Saturday, Israel also released 111 individuals who had been detained in Gaza but were not involved in the October 7 attack.
Of the 183 released, 150 were either returned or deported to Gaza, 32 were sent to the West Bank, and one was transferred to Egypt.
The Israel Prison Service confirmed that those sent to the West Bank were released from Ofer Prison near Ramallah, while others were freed from Ktzi’ot Prison in southern Israel and transported to the Kerem Shalom Crossing near the Egyptian border.
“Prison Service troops are acting to release terrorists in line with the diplomatic deal for the return of the hostages, in full coordination with all security services,” the IPS stated.
Among those freed was Egyptian national Fareeq Barikat, convicted for his role in a 2007 suicide bombing at a bakery in Eilat, and Salim Awad, a Fatah member linked to the 2002 attack on the West Bank settlement of Homesh that left three Israelis dead.
One of the most well-known individuals released was Gaza aid worker Mohammed el-Halabi. He had been sentenced to 12 years in prison for allegedly funneling funds to Hamas, a case that sparked criticism from rights organizations.
El-Halabi served as the Palestinian manager for World Vision’s Gaza branch, a major Christian aid organization.
He was arrested in 2016 and accused of diverting millions of dollars to Hamas, though both he and World Vision strongly denied the allegations.
With these latest releases, the total number of Palestinian prisoners freed under the ceasefire and hostage exchange agreement has now reached 583.
