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February 28, 2025 | 10:35 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Israel released 596 Palestinian prisoners from various detention facilities on Thursday night, following the handover of the remains of four Israeli hostages by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas.
This seventh phase of releases is part of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas.
The Palestinian news agency Wafa and Anadolu reported that 37 Palestinians were released in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, while five others were released in East Jerusalem.
One prisoner, received by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society in a comatose state, was immediately transported to a hospital in the West Bank for urgent medical treatment.
"The prisoners are in a state of severe emaciation, with some unable to walk due to the intense beatings and torture they have endured," said Saleh Al Hams, director of the European Gaza Hospital in Khan Younis.
Al Hams explained that many prisoners suffer from skin diseases, and one individual is hospitalized due to lung fibrosis.
He also revealed that among the released prisoners are 15 medical personnel who were previously detained during Israel's genocide in Gaza.
According to Hamas, 11 of those released were prisoners serving life sentences or long-term sentences who were arrested prior to October 7, 2023.
The group also indicated that 97 long-term or life sentence prisoners were deported to Egypt.
Amani Sarahneh from the Palestinian Prisoners Society reported that Israel had postponed the release of 46 juvenile and female hostages who were also scheduled for release.
She explained that Israel had delayed their release pending the completion of the identification process of the recovered hostages' bodies.
As of Wednesday night, Hamas had released 33 Israelis, including eight bodies, during the first phase of the 42-day ceasefire agreement that concluded this weekend.
In exchange, as part of the initial phase of the Gaza agreement, over 1,100 Palestinian prisoners were released.
According to Israel, 59 of its citizens remain held captive in Gaza, with 20 believed to be alive.
They are expected to be released during the second phase of the ceasefire, which requires Israel to fully withdraw its troops and permanently cease its attacks on Palestine.
The first phase of the ceasefire, which began on January 19, halted Israeli military actions in Gaza. These actions have resulted in the deaths of over 48,360 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and caused extensive destruction throughout the Palestinian territory.
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