Gaza city: As part of the first phase of US President Donald Trump's plan to end the war in the Gaza Strip and achieve peace in the Middle East, the exchange of Palestinian prisoners and Israeli detainees in the Gaza Strip began a short while ago.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, the first phase of the plan involves the release of all living Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip in two batches, totaling 20 individuals. Additionally, 28 bodies will be gradually handed over, contingent upon the progress in recovering them from the rubble of homes in the Gaza Strip.
In exchange, the occupation authorities will release 250 prisoners serving life sentences and 1,718 detainees from the Gaza Strip detained after the war commenced on October 7, 2023. The Israeli authorities have organized the prisoners for release from five central prisons, including 107 prisoners from Ofer prison, west of Ramallah, and the remaining 143 prisoners from Ketziot prison in the Negev. These prisoners will be transferred to the Gaza Strip and subsequently to the Arab Republic of Egypt.
The prisoner exchange is being conducted under the supervision of an Egyptian-Qatari-American committee, which is overseeing the implementation of the ceasefire agreement. Yesterday, the Israeli authorities prevented around 100 relatives of the detainees, who are set for release today, from traveling to see them, as the released detainees will be deported outside Palestine.
On October 9th, US President Donald Trump announced the agreement to implement the first phase of his Middle East peace plan, originally outlined on September 29th. This plan calls for ending the war in the Gaza Strip, withdrawal of occupation forces, entry of humanitarian aid, and the prisoner exchange. The following day, the Israeli occupation government ratified the ceasefire agreement and the broad parameters for the exchange of prisoners and detainees.
The ceasefire took effect last Friday at noon, initiating the 72-hour period specified in the agreement for completing the prisoner exchange. According to prisoner organizations, there are over 11,000 detainees in Israeli prisons enduring severe conditions, including torture, starvation, and systematic medical neglect, leading to deaths among detainees.
Currently, 350 Palestinian detainees are serving life sentences, with 40 more indicted pending life sentences. There are 53 female prisoners, including three from Gaza, and two children. Approximately 400 child prisoners are held in Ofer and Megiddo prisons, with around 3,380 detainees held without trial as of October this year.
Since October 7, 2023, Israeli occupation forces have committed genocidal crimes in the Gaza Strip, resulting in over 67,806 deaths and more than 170,000 injuries, most being women and children. Famine has claimed the lives of 463 citizens, including 157 children.