ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is one of four countries to have agreed to host Palestinian prisoners freed under a ceasefire deal that was reached between Israel and Hamas on Jan. 15 to end the Gaza war, a Palestinian news agency considered close to Hamas said in a report on Monday.
A six-week initial ceasefire phase which ended 15 months of war includes the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from central Gaza and the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza. Among key components of the deal is that Hamas will release 33 Israeli hostages, including all women (soldiers and civilians), children, and men over 50. In exchange, Israel will release 30 Palestinian detainees for every civilian hostage and 50 Palestinian detainees for every Israeli female soldier Hamas releases.
“The [Hamas] movement is currently in talks with several countries to secure approval for hosting the remaining freed prisoners,” the agency said in a report published on Monday, quoting a “senior Hamas official.”
“The countries that have agreed to receive them so far include Turkiye, Qatar, Pakistan and Malaysia.”
The report said 99 Palestinian prisoners freed by Israel had been deported to Egypt, with 263 expected to be freed by the completion of the first phase of the release process. It said 15 Palestinian prisoners were expected to arrive in Türkiye on Tuesday from the Egyptian capital of Cairo.
Hamas was also in talks with Algeria and Indonesia to host prisoners while Tunisia had declined to be a host, the agency reported.
The Quds Press report comes in the backdrop of negotiations due to start tomorrow, Tuesday, on an agreement for the second phase of the deal, which will see the release of remaining Israeli hostages and the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.
Palestinian territory – encompassing the Gaza Strip and West Bank, including East Jerusalem – has been occupied by Israel since 1967.
The latest war began after about 1,200 Israelis were killed and 251 taken to Gaza as hostages when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The attack triggered a massive Israeli military offensive in Gaza, which has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians, the Hamas-run health ministry says. The war has also led to widespread destruction in the densely populated territory, where thousands of schools, houses and hospitals have been destroyed by relentless Israeli bombardment.
