Israel to release 602 prisoners in ceasefire deal with Hamas

Israel has commuted the sentences of 602 imprisoned terrorists this week as part of the final two releases in the first phase of its ceasefire agreement with Hamas, according to Hebrew media reports. In accordance with the deal, the bodies of four hostages were returned to Israel on Thursday morning.

The remains are reportedly those of Shiri Bibas, 32, and her sons, Ariel, 4, and Kfir, who was only 9 months old when they were taken on October 7, 2023, as well as 83-year-old Oded Lifshitz. Six living hostages are scheduled for release on Saturday.

Of the 602 prisoners set to be released, 445—residents of Gaza who were arrested by Israeli forces following the October 7 massacre—are expected to be freed later on Thursday. The remaining 157 will be released after the six hostages return to Israeli territory on Saturday. Among them, 50 were serving life sentences, 60 had long sentences, and 47 were previously released in a 2011 deal with Hamas but were later rearrested.

A total of 108 of those released are expected to be deported to Egypt before being transferred to other countries. The list includes Khalil Jabarin, who murdered dual U.S.-Israeli citizen Ari Fuld in 2018; Omar al-Zaban, a senior Hamas operative serving 27 life sentences for attacks that killed at least 27 people; Bilal Abu-Ghanem, who was convicted for the 2015 murders of three Israeli civilians on a Jerusalem bus; and Nael Barghouti, originally sentenced for the 1978 murder of an Israeli bus driver, released in the 2011 Shalit deal, and rearrested for renewed terrorist activity. Also among those being freed is Abed el-Nasser Isa, considered a student of Hamas bomb-maker Yahya Ayyash.

As part of the first phase of the truce, Hamas has agreed to release 33 hostages, while Israel has committed to commuting the sentences of approximately 2,000 prisoners.