As part of a truce agreement that includes calls for the return of captives from Gaza, Hamas is putting pressure on Israel to include well-known Palestinians on a list of prisoners to be released.
Hamas’ demand follows the Israeli justice ministry’s announcement of the names of 250 detainees who would be released, but the exclusion of seven well-known inmates, such as Ahmad Saadat and Marwan Barghouti.
Palestinians have long viewed the men, who are currently serving terms after being found guilty of participating in separate deadly assaults in Israel, as icons of resistance. The agreement put forth by US President Donald Trump calls for the release of 20 Israeli hostages by 12:00 (09:00 GMT) on Monday.
Israel has adamantly refused to include the Palestinian inmates, despite US envoy Steve Witkoff’s pledge to bring up the issue with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a senior Palestinian official acquainted with the negotiations told the BBC.
It’s unclear if this will cause a snag or affect the schedule for the release of Palestinian inmates detained in Israeli prisons and hostages from the Gaza Strip. Trump’s ceasefire and hostage return agreement, which was authorized this week to halt the two-year war in Gaza, is scheduled to include the releases as part of its first phase.
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