January 18, 2025 1:52 PM.
Israel will release 735 Palestinian prisoners during the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal that it agreed with Hamas. In a statement, Israel’s Justice Ministry said, the deal is expected to go into effect tomorrow and include three phases.
The first phase is expected to last for 42 days during which 33 Israeli hostages are set to be released. The ministry released the names of all prisoners set for release, except those of 25 minors, aged between 16 and 18. The ministry statement was released shortly after the Israeli government approved the deal paving the way for implementation tomorrow.
Israel says the agreement will go into effect at 8:30 a.m. local time (1:30 a.m. ET). Three female Israeli civilian hostages are expected to be released on the first day, according to two US officials.
In comments Saturday just hours before the ceasefire was set to begin, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the deal, but also said it could not move forward until Hamas supplied a list of the hostages to be released. He said Israel reserves the right to resume fighting if the deal falls apart — and would have US backing in doing so.
Israel has maintained its bombardment of Gaza in the days leading up to the ceasefire, killing at least 122 people and injuring 270 others since the deal was announced on Wednesday, according to Gaza’s Civil Defense.
