The Justice Ministry published on Wednesday the list of prisoners to be released as part of the expected deal with Hamas. Prisoners to be released come from groups such as Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Fatah, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
Most of the prisoners have a blue ID card, meaning that they live in east Jerusalem (as opposed to Gaza or the West Bank, whose residents have green ones), but they are not Israeli citizens. Those to be released were tried in military and civilian courts alike, according to media.
Only 150 of the expected 300 prisoners are expected to be released in the first stage of the deal, according to Hebrew media, adding that more prisoners from the published list will be released upon the further release of hostages.
The majority of prisoners to be released, though not all, are under the age of 18 or are women, according to the 15-page list.
Who are some of the prisoners expected to be released?
One prisoner to be released is Ahmed Marzouk, 18, arrested four months ago for assaulting police, arson, possession of weapons, and other charges. Another is Amani Heshim, 37, arrested in December 2016 and charged with inflicting grievous bodily harm, armed with knives and daggers. Walela Khaled Fozi Tangi, 26, arrested in August last year was charged with attempted murder and possession of weapons and explosives.
The Knesset approved the outline of the deal by a large majority on Tuesday night.
An Israeli hostage will be released for every three Palestinian prisoners released by Israel –50 women and children hostages for 150 Palestinian prisoners over four days, starting Thursday.