Hours after reaching an agreement to observe a humanitarian truce after a six-week-long conflict, Israel released a list of Palestinian prisoners and detainees slated for release in exchange for the release of 50 hostages held captive by Hamas.
The list has names of 300 Palestinian detainees, 150 females, and minors that Israel has agreed to free during the initial four-day pause.
A total of 287 out of 300 detainees are males aged under 18 and under, most of them held for rioting and rock-throwing in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. 13 of them are adult women largely held for attempting to terror stabbing.
Meanwhile, Israeli President Isaac Herzog expressed his support for the hostage agreement acknowledging ‘the understandable, painful and difficult misgivings’.
Earlier after a six-hour meeting, Israel’s war Cabinet approved the deal brokered with the international efforts by Qatar, Egypt and the US. According to the White House, the hostage release will begin roughly 24 hours after the deal is approved by all parties.
The Israeli government statement said that the truce would be extended an extra day for every additional 10 hostages released by Hamas.
While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue fighting against Hamas after the truce is over, a longer-term lull could lead to pressure, both international and domestic, for Israel to end its war without achieving its goal of destroying Hamas’ military capabilities.
