The seventh hostage-prisoner exchange under a fragile Gaza ceasefire is set to go ahead today, with Hamas’s armed wing confirming it would release six living Israelis.
According to AFP, they are the last living hostages eligible for release under the truce deal’s first phase, which is due to expire in early March. Hamas has also promised to hand over four more bodies next week.
On the other hand, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club advocacy group has said that Israel would free 602 inmates today as part of the swap.
A spokeswoman for the NGO told AFP that 445 were Gazans arrested after the recent conflict began, while 60 were serving long sentences, 50 were serving life sentences and 47 were re-arrested after being freed in a 2011 exchange.
She added that 108 of the prisoners would be deported outside of Israel and the Palestinian territories after their release.
