JERUSALEM — The
Israeli Ministry of Justice on Saturday released the list of 735 Palestinian
prisoners set to be released in the first phase of the ceasefire deal with
Hamas.
This initial phase, set to commence on Sunday and span 42 days,
will see Israel gradually release the prisoners as well as 1,167 residents
detained from Gaza. In return, Hamas is expected to release 33 Israeli hostages
currently held in Gaza.
Israel said that many of the prisoners on the list were
convicted of murder, such as Ahmed Barghouti, who was serving 13 life terms for
the murder of 12 Israelis, and Majdi Zaatari, sentenced to 23 life terms plus
50 years for facilitating a 2003 suicide bombing in Jerusalem that killed 23
people.
Also slated for release is senior Hamas member Salim Hajja,
who was serving 16 life terms for his involvement in a suicide bus attack in
Haifa in 2001, in which 15 people were killed, and Mohammed Naifa, a senior
militant in the Tanzim militant faction, who was convicted of murdering 13
Israelis and sentenced to 13 life terms.
The list also includes Zakaria Zubeidi, commander of Fatah's
Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades in Jenin, West Bank, Xinhua news agency reported.
Israeli citizens, particularly victims' families, are
allowed to petition the High Court of Justice to challenge the release of
specific prisoners.
Earlier in the day, the Israeli government approved a
ceasefire agreement aimed at the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip,
following a lengthy cabinet meeting, the Prime Minister's Office said.
At the meeting, 24 ministers voted in favour and eight
against.
Three Israeli women held in Gaza and 95 Palestinian
prisoners are set to be released on Sunday as part of the deal's first phase.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the
meeting that he was assured by US President-elect Donald Trump that Israel
would receive a halted arms supply once he takes office, reported Channel 12
News.
"This is important because if we do not reach the
second phase of the deal, we will have additional tools to return to
fighting," Netanyahu said. "Trump is giving Israel full backing to
return to war in case of a violation of the agreement."
The full cabinet meeting was held after Israel's restricted
security cabinet voted in favour of the Gaza ceasefire-for-hostage agreement on
Friday.
Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, two far-right
ministers, opposed the agreement and demanded a government commitment to resume
fighting in Gaza once the first phase of the deal, in which Hamas would release
33 Israeli hostages, is completed.
Disputes have been resolved, Hamas said on Friday, a day
after the group affirmed its commitment to the full terms of the accord in a
statement.
