Israel-Hamas ceasefire: What do we know about detainees in Gaza? , Israel-Palestine conflict news
When Hamas-led Palestinian fighters attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, and captured about 250 people, it immediately raised an issue.
0 became extremely important to most of Israeli society.
The captives immediately became a symbol for Israelis, used to justify Israel’s brutal war on Gaza – which has now killed more than 46,800 Palestinians. But the topic has also divided Israelis, with many, especially supporters of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s opposition, stressing that the government has not done enough to secure an agreement. So that he can be released.
Now that a ceasefire agreement has been agreed, the nightmare of captivity for those held in Gaza is about to end.
How many prisoners will be released from Gaza?
It is believed that about 100 Israeli captives remain in Gaza, all of whom are expected to be released if the agreement between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas is fully implemented.
But not all will be released together. In the first six-week phase of the agreement, 33 detainees are expected to be released on a gradual basis in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Israeli detainees to be released in this phase include some sick or injured, as well as female soldiers and men over the age of 50.
Egypt has said those released in the first phase will be exchanged for 1,890 Palestinian prisoners. Israel said it would release 95 Palestinians, all women and children, on the first day of the ceasefire on Sunday.
All remaining captives, believed to be male soldiers, will be released in later stages of the ceasefire agreement in exchange for an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners.
What do we know about the identities of the prisoners being released?
No official list of Israeli detainees to be released in the first phase has yet been published, and while the identities of the detainees still in Gaza are known, it is unclear who is still alive.
In fact, on Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said that the ceasefire will not start until Israel receives the list of prisoners to be released.
Hamas has said that several Israeli detainees have been killed in Israeli attacks on the sites where they were held, but has also released videos with messages from some of the detainees.
While all remaining detainees are Israeli, some are dual citizens, including those of the United States, Argentina, and Germany.
Five of the captives are believed to be female soldiers who were captured during the raid on 7 October.
And among the detainees expected to be released in the first phase are two Israelis who were held captive in Gaza before October 7, and who have spent years in the enclave.
What will the handover process be like?
While some captives were freed by Israeli forces in military operations that killed dozens of Palestinian civilians, more than 100 – the majority who have left Gaza – were released in a temporary ceasefire in November 2023.
During that prisoner swap, the released detainees were transferred by Palestinian fighters to the Red Cross, and then handed over to Israeli forces.
Israel has prepared medical teams to receive the captives, and Hagai Levin, head of the health team at the Hostage Families Forum, expects many to have heart and respiratory problems after spending so long underground in the tunnels.
How significant has his imprisonment been in Israel?
The topic of detainees has been a central topic among Israel and pro-Israel supporters since the war began.
The release of detainees has been one of Israel’s primary war goals, but it also arguably contradicts one of the other stated goals, the complete defeat of Hamas.
This is because Hamas has offered to release detainees since the war began as part of an agreement that would end the war, a demand that the Israeli Prime Minister had consistently rejected until recently.
In fact, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has declared that he has been able to use his political power to prevent any deal from happening over the past year, in essence defeating Hamas and building Aim to. Illegal Israeli settlements in Gaza over the release of detainees in a prisoner exchange. Ben-Gvir is now expected to follow through on his promise to resign if the deal comes into force.
However, the return of the detainees is the primary demand of many Israelis. Their photos are displayed on posters throughout Israel, and demands to “bring them home now” are regularly heard at protests. A plaza in Tel Aviv has been renamed “Hostages Square”, and is the focal point of the demonstrations.
Family members of detainees have frequently clashed with members of the Israeli government, and a movement representing them has promised to continue efforts for the detainees’ release. “We will not allow them (far-right ministers) to hinder the full implementation of the agreement,” a speaker at an event supporting the ceasefire agreement said on Saturday.
