Israel names 300 Palestinian prisoners, mostly teens, likely to be freed in hostage deal

Israel on Wednesday morning published a list of 300 Palestinian prisoners and detainees who could be released as part of the deal to free Israeli hostages held by Hamas and other terror groups in Gaza. The publication gives members of the public the chance to appeal against the release of specific prisoners. Under the deal, Israel will release “up to” 150 security prisoners in exchange for “up to” 50 hostages in first 4 days, plus more to be released according to the same ratio out of the list of 300 prisoners if further hostages are freed. The vast majority, 287 of the 300 security prisoners scheduled for release, are all young men aged 18 and under — most of them held for rioting and rock-throwing in the West Bank or East Jerusalem. The other 13 prisoners are adult women, most of them convicted of attempted terror stabbings. Israel’s justice ministry posted the list of 300 Palestinian prisoners slated for release, the publication intending to allow for any last-minute legal challenges. A statement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said 50 women and children will be released over four days, during which there will be a temporary pause in fighting. For every additional 10 hostages released, the pause would be extended by another day, it said, without mentioning the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange. Hamas, meanwhile, has said that 50 hostages taken from Israel on October 7 would be released in exchange for about 150 Palestinians who are held in Israeli jails—most of them women and children. The truce deal will also allow hundreds of trucks of humanitarian, medical and fuel aid to enter Gaza, the Palestinian group said in a statement. Israel earlier committed not to attack or arrest anyone in all parts of Gaza during the truce period, the statement added.