110 Palestinians to Be Released in Third Phase of Ceasefire and Captive Exchange Deal
The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society has announced that 110 Palestinians will be released today as part of the third phase of a ceasefire and captive exchange deal between Israel and Hamas. Additionally, Hamas and other Palestinian groups are set to release eight captives, including five Thai nationals and three Israelis.
The freed Palestinians are expected to arrive in the Radana area of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, around 12:00 pm local time (10:00 GMT). The list of those to be released includes at least 30 children, and it notably features Zakaria Zubeidi, a prominent former Palestinian resistance fighter. Zubeidi, 49, is renowned for his dramatic escape from an Israeli prison in 2021, which solidified his status as a folk hero among Palestinians.
Zubeidi had once led the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the militant group affiliated with the Fatah party. He had been imprisoned multiple times and played an active role during Palestinian uprisings against Israeli occupation. In 2021, he and five others tunneled out of a high-security prison, only to be recaptured later. He is also the founder of The Freedom Theatre in the Jenin refugee camp, where he sought to use art to resist Israeli occupation.
The release of 110 prisoners today brings the total to 400 Palestinians freed since the beginning of the ceasefire, with the ongoing release deal helping to ease tensions, despite continued Israeli military operations in the West Bank. Israeli forces have intensified their operations in the Jenin refugee camp, leading to further casualties and arrests.
Despite the releases, thousands of Palestinians remain imprisoned by Israeli authorities. As of now, more than 10,000 Palestinians are in Israeli custody, including many who are held without charge under administrative detention. The issue of Palestinian detainees remains a contentious part of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
