On Thursday, 110 Palestinians will be released from Israeli prisons as part of the third phase of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas, writes Aljazeera.
The Palestinian Prisoners' Society has published a list of names and ages of the inmates that Israel intends to release. Among them are 30 children.
The list also includes 49-year-old Zakaria Zubeidi — the former head of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades in the city of Jenin, located in the West Bank. He was actively involved in the uprisings against the Israeli occupation from 2000 to 2005, according to Associated Press.
Zubeidi gained international attention following his dramatic escape from prison in 2021. He and five other inmates broke out of a high-security prison in northern Israel. This escape helped solidify Zubeidi's image as a folk hero among Palestinians. The Israeli side regards Zubeidi as a terrorist.
Five days ago, Hamas released additional hostages. Among them were four Israeli female soldiers who were serving on the outskirts of Gaza in October 2023. In response, the IDF released 200 prisoners.
Previously, on the first day of the ceasefire, Hamas released three Israeli women who had been held captive for 471 days. In return, Israel freed 90 Palestinian prisoners.
According to Israeli intelligence, at the start of the ceasefire, out of more than 250 individuals captured by Hamas on October 7, 2023, 98 remained in Gaza, and only about half of them are presumed to still be alive.
Later, the Israeli government confirmed reports that of the 33 hostages included in the list of those to be released by Hamas, 8 were already deceased.