Prison service: Preparations underway for release of Palestinian prisoners in hostage-ceasefire deal

The entrance to Ofer prison from where Palestinian prisoners will be released as part of a deal between Israel and Hamas, January 19, 2025 (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
The entrance to Ofer prison from where Palestinian prisoners will be released as part of a deal between Israel and Hamas, January 19, 2025 (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

The Israel Prison Service is preparing to release the first round of Palestinian prisoners as part of the hostage-ceasefire deal with Hamas, a spokesperson for the agency says.

“The Prison Service has received the list of security prisoners expected to be released from various prisons as part of Operation ‘Wings of Freedom’ to return the hostages home,” reads the statement.

The agency has not yet provided the names of the 90 prisoners slated for release today.

The prisoners will be transported by the prison service’s Nahshon unit to Ofer Prison, located in the West Bank, where they will be identified by Red Cross representatives. The prisoners will wait at Ofer Prison until the release of the three Israeli hostages is confirmed by the IDF.

Hebrew-language media reports that 78 of the prisoners will be transported to the West Bank, and 12 to East Jerusalem.

Prisoners who are West Bank residents will be escorted by the Red Cross to the Beitunia checkpoint, where they will then be freed, according to a spokesperson.

Residents of East Jerusalem will be escorted by the IPS to the Russian Compound detention center in the city, then released by police.

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