A total of 737 prisoners and detainees will be released this Saturday (18) as part of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release agreement approved by the Israeli government, the country’s Ministry of Justice reported.
According to the ministry’s website, the government approved the release of “737 prisoners and detainees who are in the custody of the Prison Service”.
At an earlier press conference, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani announced that Israel and Hamas had reached an agreement on the exchange of hostages and prisoners and the establishment of a truce, aiming for a permanent ceasefire.
Implementation of the agreement is scheduled to begin on Sunday (19), with Hamas releasing 33 hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners during the first phase. Details of subsequent phases will be revealed later.
“We advise residents to take precautions, exercise maximum caution and await instructions from official sources,” said Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari in a post on X.
Understand the conflict in the Gaza Strip
Israel has carried out intense airstrikes in the Gaza Strip since 2023, after Hamas invaded the country and killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli counts. Furthermore, the radical group holds dozens of hostages.
Hamas does not recognize Israel as a state and claims Israeli territory for Palestine.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly promised to destroy Hamas’ military capabilities and recover people detained in Gaza.
In addition to the air offensive, the Israeli Army carries out land incursions into Palestinian territory. This caused much of Gaza’s population to be displaced.
The UN and several humanitarian institutions have warned of a catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, with a lack of food, medicine and the spread of diseases.
This content was originally published in Israel will release 737 prisoners in the first phase, says ministry on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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