Palestinians await release of 2,000 captives as part of Trump's Gaza deal

Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza are awaiting the release of nearly 2,000 captives and detainees held in Israeli jails, while civilians in Gaza returned to their demolished homes on Monday.

The Palestinian Prisoners' Office released the names of 1,718 Palestinians from Gaza who are set to be freed from Israeli jails as part of the ceasefire deal. An additional 250 prisoners serving life sentences or long sentences will also be freed.

Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza, who was detained by Israel in December, is on a reserve list of prisoners to be released if the release quota falls short, Al Jazeera reported.

Israeli media said that the Israeli government is creating a reserve list of five detainees from Gaza who could be released if there are any last-minute changes to the captive exchange plan, which could include Abu Safiya.

US President Donald Trump arrived at Ben Gurion Airport to mark the deal and the release of the captives from Gaza, and will address the Israeli Knesset and co-chair a summit in Egypt on the Gaza deal later on Monday.

This comes as Hamas released seven Israeli captives early on Monday, identifying them as Eitan Abraham Mor, Gali Berman, Omri Miran, Alon Ohel, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, and Matan Angrest.

The parents of Ohel told Israeli media that their son "looks amazing" following his release and their meeting in southern Israel.

An additional 13 captives are set to be released later on Monday, various reports stated.

Israel’s forensic institute, the Abu Kabir Institute, announced that it is preparing to receive the bodies of the deceased captives, but noted that it will require hours - or over a day in some cases - to carry out identifications and collect evidence.

Israeli authorities do not yet know how many bodies Hamas will hand over in the coming days, but staff at the institute will likely be able to determine the circumstances of their deaths.

Palestinians to face restrictions

For Palestinians, the day has been filled with scepticism and uncertainty as many are unsure if the detainees released from Israeli jails will be sent to the West Bank, Gaza, or deported elsewhere.

Israel has previously deported detainees to prevent them from returning to their homes or families.

Many of the Palestinians who will be freed today will face heavy restrictions, which will likely prevent them from meeting their families and will confine them to staying in the occupied West Bank, according to reports.

Ayman Odeh, a member of the Knesset and a Palestinian citizen of Israel, said the ceasefire and captive exchange is "joy mixed with pain" due to the "terrible crimes that were committed and the tunnels of blood our land has absorbed". 

He emphasised that Palestinians must "continue to struggle" to achieve a peaceful resolution.

The official Palestinian Wafa news agency said on Monday that Palestinian Red Crescent crews entered the Israeli Ofer prison to "transfer a sick prisoner who is scheduled to be released today".

Israeli authorities summoned the families of Palestinian prisoners in Jerusalem and ordered them not to celebrate the release of their loved ones publicly or raise flags and banners.

The authorities confirmed that Israeli security vehicles will escort the freed captives to take them directly to their homes after they are released.

Several aid trucks have already entered the besieged Gaza Strip, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, The New Arab’s Arabic language sister publication, reported.

This comes as the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites, where over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed since they started operations in May, are set to be closed under the terms of the ceasefire agreement.

Reports state, citing Palestinian witnesses, that three of the distribution sites have been abandoned in Rafah and in central Gaza.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed over 67,000 Palestinians since October 2023 and plunged the Strip into famine and a deep humanitarian crisis. Leading rights groups and UN experts state Israel’s actions amount to war crimes and genocide.