Israel releases list of 250 Palestinian prisoners to be freed as part of Gaza ceasefire deal
Under the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, Israel has agreed to release 250 prisoners sentenced to life in prison and 1,700 prisoners who were detained since October 7, 2023.
October 10, 2025 11:41 PM IST
First published on: Oct 10, 2025 at 11:41 PM IST
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Palestinians celebrate following the announcement that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a peace plan to pause the fighting, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025. Celebrations remain limited, as relief is mixed with mourning and concern for what comes next. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Israel on Friday released a list of 250 Palestinian prisoners who will be released from Israeli prisons as part of the ceasefire deal in exchange for the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
Marwan Barghouti won’t be released
According to reports, those set to be released by Israel include members of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Fatah and the Popular Front groups. Most notably, missing from the list is the name of Marwan Barghouti, the Fatah leader, who has been imprisoned in Israel for 23 years. Barghouti was the most high-profile name Hamas has demanded to be released as part of the prisoner-hostage swap deal.
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Palestinians celebrate following the announcement that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a peace plan to pause the fighting, outside Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025. Celebrations remain limited, as relief is mixed with mourning and concern for what comes next. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Some jailed since 80s
According to Palestinians, some of those who have been listed to be freed by Israel have been in prison since the 1980s and 1990s, and a few have been in prison since they were minors or teenagers.
Many of the men have been accused of being affiliated with Hamas and charged with “intentional causing of death,” while others were charged with “conspiracy to intentionally cause death.” Some were charged with throwing stones. It is not clear how Israel came to the conclusion on which prisoners to release.
There were almost 10,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons as of April, according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office. This includes at least 400 children and 29 women.
Prisoners-hostages swap deal
Under the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, Israel has agreed to release 250 prisoners sentenced to life in prison and 1,700 prisoners who were detained since October 7, 2023, in exchange for the 20 living Israeli hostages.
Relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip hold posters with portraits of their loved ones during a gathering following the announcement that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a peace plan to pause the fighting, at a plaza known as Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Israel also said it will return “360 Gazan terrorists’ bodies,” without specifying if any of them had taken part in the October 7 massacre.
According to the Palestinian Information Center, Israeli authorities have the bodies of more than 1,500 Palestinians, including 99 of whom were identified as prisoners.
As per the deal, after the ceasefire comes into effect and the IDF withdraws to pre-designated positions in Gaza, Israel will release the Palestinian prisoners and the bodies. Only after this, Hamas will release the 20 living Israeli hostages. While Hamas has agreed to return the bodies of the dead hostages, no timeframe has been set for it to be completed.
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Palestinians celebrate following the announcement that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a peace plan to pause the fighting, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025. Celebrations remain limited, as relief is mixed with mourning and concern for what comes next. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi) 
