Israel Starts Prisoner Transfers, Excludes Key Palestinian Figures from Exchange Deal

Israeli media revealed new details about the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire prisoner exchange, which includes the release of hundreds of Palestinians—excluding key figures such as Marwan Barghouti and Ahmed Saadat—in return for all living Israeli captives held by Hamas.

Israeli media reported new details about the final list of Palestinian prisoners set to be released in the first phase of the prisoner exchange agreement recently reached with Hamas as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal.

According to Israeli sources cited by the Walla news website, the final list includes 195 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences, of whom only 60 are affiliated with the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, while the rest belong to various other Palestinian factions and organizations.

Meanwhile, the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the Israeli Prison Service has begun transferring Palestinian security detainees from five different prisons to designated facilities in preparation for their release under the first phase of the agreement.

The newspaper added that the deal provides for the release of approximately 250 prisoners serving life sentences, in addition to 1,700 detainees from Gaza who were arrested after Israel launched its war on the Strip on October 7, 2023.

In return, according to the official document of the agreement published by the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation (Kan), Hamas will release all living Israeli prisoners it holds—at least 20 individuals—within 72 hours of the ceasefire’s implementation.

Israeli estimates indicate that there are 48 Israeli prisoners in Gaza, including 20 still alive, while the remainder are presumed dead.

The agreement also reportedly calls for the creation of a joint mechanism made up of representatives from Qatar, Egypt, Turkiye, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to handle information regarding the fate of Israeli prisoners believed to have died in captivity.

Final List of Prisoners

According to Walla, the Israeli General Security Service (Shin Bet) objected to around 100 names proposed during negotiations and excluded 25 prominent prisoners, citing that they posed a “continuing security threat” even after potential release.

Despite repeated demands by Hamas throughout the talks, the final list excluded several high-profile figures whom the movement had insisted be included in any exchange deal. 

According to Israeli reports, among those left out are:

Marwan Barghouti – senior Fatah leader imprisoned since 2002.

Ahmed Saadat – Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

Hassan Salama – a leading figure of the Palestinian armed struggle.

Israel reportedly considers these figures a “red line” in any prisoner exchange arrangement. Their continued detention has long been one of the major sticking points in negotiations over the past two years.

According to Palestinian and Israeli human rights organizations, there are over 11,000 Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, including hundreds of women and children. 

Prisoners face harsh conditions, including torture, starvation, and systematic medical neglect, which have led to the deaths of many detainees over time.