Israel begins moving Palestinian detainees ahead of their release

Israeli authorities have begun preparing to transfer Palestinian prisoners expected to be released as part of a swap deal for Israeli captives held by Hamas, under U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to halt the war in Gaza.

The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that hundreds of soldiers from the “Nahshon” unit of the Israel Prison Service began overnight moving prisoners slated for release under the deal from five different prisons to the facilities from which they are expected to be freed.

Logistical preparations are under way to release about 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and roughly 1,700 others who were arrested by Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip after October 7, 2023.

The newspaper quoted the Israel Prison Service as saying that even after the deal is completed, around 9,000 Palestinians will remain behind bars in Israel.