Palestinian jailbreakers and life prisoners to be freed in Hamas-Israel swap

Since the announcement of the Gaza ceasefire, speculation has swirled about which Palestinian prisoners will be released and how many will be included in the deal.

The agreement, set to take effect on Sunday morning, will see 33 Israelis freed from Gaza in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians currently held in Israeli prisons.

However, the exact number of Palestinians to be released remains unclear, as the official text of the deal has not yet been made public.

The final number will also depend on how many of the 33 Israelis are still alive. Reports suggest at least 25 are.

Additionally, the number of Palestinians released will vary based on the identities of those being exchanged, as female soldiers will be swapped for a different number of Palestinian prisoners than civilian captives.

According to Israeli media, as many as 1,900 Palestinians could be freed in the first phase of the deal.

There are more than 13,000 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, including those detained during the latest invasion of Gaza, according to Palestinian and Israeli estimates.

Of the 1,900 expected to be released in the first phase, around 1,167 are civilians detained from Gaza, who will be exchanged for the remains of some Israeli captives.

The Israeli Ministry of Justice released the names of the remaining 734 prisoners on Saturday. 

The list includes 230 prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment, some of whom are high-profile individuals detained since the 1990s.

Several of these prisoners have been incarcerated since before the Oslo Accords were signed in 1993 and have spent decades in Israeli detention.

The list also features prisoners from various Palestinian factions, as well as detainees from the West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza Strip.

Hamas’ Prisoners’ Information Office stated that 296 prisoners serving life sentences would be released in the first phase, with the largest number belonging to the Palestinian National Liberation Movement, more commonly known as Fatah. There are around 600 Palestinians serving life sentences in Israeli jails. 

The office further clarified that the lists published by the Israeli Ministry of Justice are subject to change depending on the number of Israeli soldiers Hamas may release. It urged caution when dealing with the Israeli lists and advised relying on the official lists issued by the group.

Prisoners of note 

Among the prisoners listed by the Israeli Ministry of Justice are Ammar al-Zaben from Jenin and Abdel Nasser Issa from Nablus, both serving multiple life sentences, as well as Saleem Hijjah from Qalqilya, who is serving 16 life sentences.

The list also includes three prisoners involved in the 2021 Gilboa prison break, including Zakaria Zubeidi, a prominent figure from Jenin refugee camp.

Born in 1976, Zubeidi is well-known for his leadership of al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades and his escape in September 2021 alongside five other inmates. The prison break, which drew international attention, became a symbol of resistance for many Palestinians.

Additionally, several prisoners who were freed in the 2011 Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange deal and re-arrested by Israel in 2014 are set to be released.

One of the most notable prisoners is Nael al-Barghouti, 67, from Kober near Ramallah, who is recognised as the longest-serving Palestinian political prisoner.

Barghouti was arrested in 1978 at the age of 20 and served 34 years before being released as part of the Shalit deal in 2011. He was re-arrested in 2014 and had his original life sentence reinstated in 2015. 

The first phase of the exchange will also include the release of women and children, though it remains unclear if all minors under 18 will be included.

One prominent female prisoner is Khalida Jarrar, 63, a leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Jarrar has been held in administrative detention since December 2023 and suffers from several health conditions.

She has been arrested multiple times and was notably denied permission to attend the funeral of her daughter, Suha, in 2021.

The ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel was announced on Wednesday. 

During its first 42-day phase, hostilities will cease, Israeli forces will withdraw from parts of Gaza, aid will flow into the war-battered strip and prisoners will be swapped.

Details of the second and third phases will be negotiated. But in principle, they will include a permanent cessation of hostilities, complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, reconstruction efforts and the exchange of the remaining 65 Israelis for Palestinian prisoners.