February 18, 2025

Athens News

News in English from Greece

Israel: release of 1904 Palestinians in exchange for 33 hostages (added)


During the 6-week pause in fighting in the Gaza Strip, which will begin this morning, January 19, during the first phase of the agreement from Israeli prisons 737 Palestinian prisoners will be released, as well as 1,167 detained Gazansnot involved in the attack on October 7.

Hamas will hand over 33 of the 98 hostages held in the Gaza Strip to Israelthe Israeli government announced on Saturday, January 18. Israeli authorities believe that these hostages are still alive, but there is no confirmation from Hamas yet.

The list published by the Israeli Ministry of Justice includes 737 prisoners and security detainees who are in the custody of the correctional service. Among them are terrorists serving sentences for murder and members of the Hamas, Fatah and Islamic Jihad movements. In addition, Israel will release 1,167 residents of the Gaza Strip who were taken into custody since the outbreak of hostilities, but were not involved in the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.

According to sources close to the Palestinian group, Three Israeli women will be released first. It is expected that on the evening of January 19, the first hostages will be handed over to the Red Cross and rescue teams of Egypt and Qatar. The released prisoners will then be taken to Egypt and handed over to the Israeli side, which will provide them with a medical examination.

An agreement between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip will come into force on the morning of January 19, Qatari authorities said. “According to the agreement of the parties and the mediators, the truce in the Gaza Strip begins on Sunday, January 19, at 8:30 local time,” wrote Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari in his microblog on platform X on Saturday, January 18.

A senior Hamas official said the terror group has sent Israel a requested list of hostages to be released today, Palestinian media reported. An Israeli official told Kan public television that Hamas had given the names of three women to mediators at 10:09 a.m. writes timesofisrael edition. They are Ronen Gonen (24 years old), Emily Damari (28 years old) and Doron Steinbrecher (31 years old).

The ceasefire in the Gaza Strip will take effect at 12:15 Moscow time, Netanyahu's office said.





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