Israel is set to release 369 Palestinian detainees on Sunday, February 16, 2025, as part of the sixth batch of the first phase of its ongoing prisoner exchange agreement with Hamas, Palestinian sources have confirmed.
According to a statement from the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office on Saturday, February 15, 2025, which is affiliated with Hamas, the group of released detainees will include 36 individuals serving life sentences and 333 people from Gaza who were forcefully arrested after 7 October 2023.
In exchange, the Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing, announced earlier on Saturday that the names of three Israeli captives were scheduled for release as part of the deal.
The announcement comes after Hamas reaffirmed its commitment to implementing the agreement as signed, including the prisoner exchanges according to the agreed timeline.
The group stated that mediators from Egypt and Qatar have played a key role in resolving disputes arising from what Hamas described as Israel’s violations of the deal.
The negotiations, it added, have been “positive.”
These mediation efforts followed Hamas’ decision on Monday to temporarily suspend the release of Israeli captives, citing Israel’s failure to uphold the humanitarian terms of the agreement.
The ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement, which took effect on January 19, has halted Israel’s military operations in Gaza, where more than 48,200 Palestinians—mostly women and children—have been killed, leaving the territory devastated.
There have been numerous reports of Israel violating the ceasefire agreement ever since.
