Israel released a total of 200 Palestinians who were held in prison.
Buses carrying dozens of released Palestinian prisoners left two Israeli prisons on Saturday. It happened within the framework of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip between Israel and the militant Hamas movement, writes TASR according to a report by the AFP agency.
Israel is expected to release a total of 200 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons on Saturday in exchange for four female Israeli soldiers released by Hamas earlier on Saturday.
Israel continues to occupy the territory
However, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Saturday that the country will block the return of displaced Palestinians to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip. “Israel will not allow the passage of residents to the northern area of the Gaza Strip until the release of the civilian hostage Arbel Yehudova is agreed upon,” he specified.
Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari accused Hamas of failing to fulfill its commitment under the cease-fire agreement to free the civilian women first. However, two sources from the militant movement told AFP that Yehudova is “alive and in good health”. According to the source, she will be released “as part of the third exchange, which is scheduled for next Saturday (February 1)”.
The cease-fire between Israel and the militant Hamas movement has been in effect since Sunday, January 19, at 11:15 a.m. local time (10:15 a.m. CET). It should consist of a total of three phases, while the first, which should last 42 days, should see the release of 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for roughly 1,900 Palestinians imprisoned in Israel, as well as the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip towards the border. Subsequently, a new round of negotiations should begin, the result of which should be a permanent ceasefire.
