Israel prepares for prisoner exchange as IDF, IPS conclude plans

Most of the prisoners on the list are women, and only one prisoner on the list under the age of 18 at the time of their arrest was convicted of murder.

By JOANIE MARGULIES JANUARY 19, 2025 20:47

Red Cross vehicle is seen near the Ofer Prison, near Jerusalem, January 19, 2025 (photo credit: REUTERS/SINAN ABU MAYZER)

The IDF and Israel Prison Service (IPS) prepared heavily for a complex prisoner exchange operation which commenced Sunday evening, as three hostages — Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher, and Emily Damari — were released from Hamas captivity on Sunday, according to a joint statement from the military and IPS. Special Operations forces received the released women from the International Red Cross before transferring them to hospitals for treatment.

The IPS mobilized 1,500 officers from the Nachshon and Masada units for an operation to oversee the release of 90 prisoners on Thursday evening. Of the 90 released, 78 are heading to the West Bank, with 12 being transferred to east Jerusalem.

It was previously iterated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the released prisoners would be released to Gaza or abroad and not to the West Bank.

IPS Commissioner Lt.-Gen. Kobi Yaakobi conducted a final situational review of the operation, named "Derech Eretz."

The prisoners will be transported away from their first point and to a central processing point at Ofer Prison, where their identities will be verified by Red Cross representatives. 

The prisoners were only to be released following confirmation that released hostages Gonen, Steinbrecher, and Damari were back in Israeli territory.

Those being transported to the West Bank will be transported on Red Cross buses, IPS announced, while the few being transported to east Jerusalem will be transferred to police custody, who will oversee their release. 

The IPS prepared for potential prisoner escape scenarios through a series of drills, and also noted several challenges the agency faced in properly identifying prisoners.

"We take pride in stepping back and extending a hand to bring dozens of living hostages home, and we will also take pride and resolve in returning to fight," IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi stated as he visited Nahal Brigade soldiers in Beit Hanun.

He added, "We wouldn’t have reached this agreement under these conditions if Hamas weren’t in such dire straits. Since October 6, we have eliminated approximately 3,000 terrorists and taken hundreds more into custody."

---

---

Most of the prisoners on the list are women, and only one prisoner on the list under the age of 18 at the time of their arrest was convicted of murder, according to Ynet.

The list of names on the Justice Ministry's website shows that a vast majority of those arrested were after the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023. Less than 10 were arrested before the attacks.

Among the prominent names on the list is attorney Khalida Jarrar, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council who represents the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

Jarrar is designated by the Shin Bet as the head of the PFLP in the West Bank.

Jarrar is a political activist and a feminist figure in Palestinian society. She played a significant role in the Palestinian Authority’s legal battle against Israel at the International Criminal Court, according to Ynet.

Who else is being released?

Abla Saadat, the wife of Ahmed Saadat, Secretary-General of the PFLP, who planned the assassination of Minister Rehavam Ze’evi and has been imprisoned since 2006, is set to be released as well. In November, more than 60 PFLP members involved in terrorist activities, including Abla, were arrested. Hamas eagerly is seeking the release of her husband.

Additionally, Nahil Masalmeh, 37, who planned an attack on a security officer at the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, will be released. She was arrested while carrying a knife. Nahil's husband, Ahed Dodin, a senior Hamas operative, is also in detention, Ynet reported.

Officers in Ofer Prison prepare for release of Palestinian prisoners, January 19, 2025 (credit: AMMAR AWAD/REUTERS)

A 17-year-old east Jerusalemite girl who attempted a stabbing attack on police officers in the Old City in May 2024 will also be released in the deal's first phase, as well as Noal Abd Fattah, who stabbed a 70-year-old man with a 20 cm knife on the Armon Hanatziv Promenade, will also be released. She was scheduled to be released in 2028.

The list of the prisoners to be released includes men and women from across the West Bank and east Jerusalem. Those released in the first round are listed below:

Nawal Mohammed Mahmoud Abdel FatihaJamal Ibrahim Salama KaabnehAdam Khalil Ibrahim HadraMuweid Omar Abdullah Al-HajjIbrahim Sultan Ibrahim ZamarAbdul Rahman Amjad Jameel KhaderSaied Mazid Saied SalimMohammed Annan Fawzi BashkarIssam Mamoun Mohammed Abu DiabThaer Ayoub Rashid Abu SarahFahmy Mohamed Fahmy FarroukhQasim Iyad Mohammed JaafariYoussef Jamal Ayyad Al-HarimiFiras Jihad Ahmed Al-MaqdisiAbdul Aziz Mohammed Abdul Aziz AtawnehFadi Bassam Mohammed HindiOsama Nasser Jubran Abdo AtayaAyham Ali Issa JaradatAseel Osama Omar ShahadaTamara Muammar Hussein Abu LabanMahmoud Mohammed Daoud AliwatLaith Mohammed Naji KamilJenin Mohammed Taha AmrNafisa Rashid Farid ZorbaKhalida Kanaan Mohammed JararYasmine Abdel Rahman Rashid Abu SururFatima Nimr Mohammed RimawiDalal Mohammed Suleiman KhaseebFatima Mohammed Suleiman SaqrRana Jamal Mohammed EidAhmed Walid Mohammed KhashanZahrat Wahib Abdel Fattah KhadrajBalqis Issa Ali ZawahraDhaha Azzam Ahmed Al-WahshHalima Fayeq Suleiman Abu AmaraMona Ahmed Qasim Abu HusseinBushra Jamal Muhammad TawilRayida Janem Mohammed Abdul MajeedMarjana Mohamed Mustafa HarishWala Khalid Fawzi TunjiRawdat Musa Abdul Qader Abu AjamiyaRula Ibrahim Abdel Rahim HassaneinAhmed Bashar Juma Abu AliaSaja Zuhair Mohammed Al-MaadiShaimaa Mohammed Abdul Jalil RawajbehSalwa Attia Mahmoud HamdanRose Youssef Mohammed KhuwaisFatima Youssef Ali Al-FarakhnaHanin Akram Mahmoud Al-MasaeedJihad Ghazi Ahmed JudehNida Ali Ahmed ZaghbiAmal Ziad Omar ShujaiyaLubna Mazen Salim TalalwaAla Mahmoud Qasim JodaAyat Youssef Saleh MahfouzHadeel Mohammed Hussein HijazWafaa Ahmed Abdullah NimrRasha Ghassan Mohammed HijjawiZeina Majd Abdel Rahim BarbarIsraa Hader Ahmed GhneimatTuhani Jamal Abdel AshourAya Omar Youssef RamadanShaima Omar Youssef RamadanDonia Ashtiyeh Marouf AshtiyehAlaa Jad Allah Nabhan QadiNahil Kamal Mustafa MusallamKhatam Aref Hassan KhabaybaAseel Mohammed Jamal EidAlaa Samir Harb Abu RahimaBara'at Hatim Hafiz FiqhaShaza Nawaf Abdul Jabbar JarabaDania Saqr Muhammad HanatshehSaja Imad Saad DraghmehAlamamat Ibrahim Hassan Al-HarinatRaghad Walid Mahmoud AmrHanan Ammar Bilal MaalwaniRaghad Khader Deeb MubarakAshwaq Muhammad Ayyad AwadIman Ibrahim Ahmed ZaidTahrir Badran Badr JaberAbla Mohamed Othman Abdel RasoulIsraa Abdul Fattah Muhammad Al-LahhamMaysar Mohammed Saeed Al-FaqihAbeer Mohammed Hamdan BaaraSamah Bilal Abdul Rahman SoufMargaret Mohamed Mahmoud Al-RaeiLatifah Khaled Ramadan Msha'shaIsraa Mustafa Mohammed BariAlaa Khaled Mohammed SaqrLana Farouk Naeem Fawaleha

Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.