Who will be released in the Gaza captive swap deal?

In the coming hours Hamas is expected to begin releasing the Israeli captives it has held in Gaza for more than two years.

The agreement, brokered last week by mediators following months of negotiations, is hoped to lead to the release of all the captives, the freeing of almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and a permanent end to Israel's genocidal assault on the enclave.

Which Palestinian prisoners will Israel release?

Israel has agreed to free almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, the vast majority of whom have been held without charge in Israeli detention facilities and military camps.

The Israeli justice ministry has published a list of 250 prisoners serving life sentences who will be released. The vast majority have been detained since the Second Intifada in the early 2000s and include members of Fatah, Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

More than half will be deported to Gaza or elsewhere while 115 will be released to the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

More than 1,700 Palestinians – including 22 children - seized from Gaza during the war and detained without charge will be freed.

Israel will also return the remains of 360 dead Gazans, though has refused to hand over the bodies of Hamas's former leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar, and his brother Mohammed.

Israel says it will only release the detainees once Hamas has returned the 48 captives still in Gaza.

Who is Israel refusing to release?

Israel is refusing to release seven high-profile prisoners despite Hamas's insistence that they be included in the deal.

These include Marwan Barghouti, a senior leader in Fatah seen by many as a potential successor to Mahmoud Abbas, and Ahmad Sa'adat, the former head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine [PFLP].

Both men are serving decades-long prison sentences in connection to attacks during the Second Intifada.

The list also includes Abbas al-Sayyid and Hassan Salameh, former Hamas commanders serving multiple life sentences.

Israel has also refused to free two Palestinian doctors from Gaza: Hossam Abu Safiya, the head of Kamal Radwan Hospital, and Marwan al-Hamas, director of the Mohammed Yousef El-Najar Hospital in Rafah.

Abu Safiya, a paediatric doctor, has been held without charge for almost a year after being abducted by Israeli forces in December 2024.

Who are the captives still in Gaza?

Hamas and other armed groups are holding 48 captives in Gaza, more than half of whom are thought to be dead.

At least 11 were active members of the Israeli military when they were captured. Most are believed to be dead, including Hadar Goldin, a lieutenant in the Givati Brigade, and Asaf Hamami, a commander in Gaza Division's Southern Brigade.

Of the 20 people presumed to be alive, most were taken from the Nova music festival and kibbutzim close to Gaza. Three were serving members of the Israeli military: Matan Angrest, Nimrod Cohen, and Rom Braslavski.

Among the dead are 12 kibbutzniks and three Nova festivalgoers.

Four of the captives are foreigners, including two Thai agricultural workers and two students from Nepal and Tanzania. All are thought to be dead apart from the Nepalese student, Bipin Joshi, whose fate is unknown.

When will they be released?

Hamas is expected to begin handing over those still alive to the Red Cross on Monday morning.

Under the terms of the agreement, the armed group has 72 hours to release the captives once Israeli forces finish their initial withdrawal.

The situation is more complicated when it comes to returning the remains of the deceased, given the scale of the destruction in Gaza. Hamas has said it will require some time to locate the bodies. The Israeli government has doubts about its ability to return the remains.

This could complicate efforts to reach a final settlement to end the war, since Israel has refused to release any Palestinians until every captive has been handed over.