JERUSALEM

The Israeli Prison Service is set to begin transferring Palestinian prisoners to two facilities, where they will be released on Sunday after the ceasefire in Gaza takes effect.

The Prison Service will transfer the Palestinian prisoners in secure convoys to designated prison facilities on Saturday evening, where they will be released, according to Israeli Army Radio.

While the radio station provided no additional information, the Israeli news website Walla reported that the Prison Service has finished its logistical preparations for the prisoner transfer.

Unlike an earlier prisoner exchange agreement in November 2023, the media outlet report noted that Palestinian prisoners will be transported in Prison Service buses with tinted windows, instead of International Red Cross buses, to avoid public celebratory displays.

The report clarified that the release of Palestinian prisoners is contingent upon confirmation of the handover of Israeli captives to the Red Cross.

According to the website, Palestinian prisoners will be transferred to two facilities: Shikma Prison in Ashkelon (southern Israel) and Ofer Prison, near the town of Beitunia, west of Ramallah in the central West Bank.

Earlier late Wednesday evening, Qatar announced a three-phase ceasefire agreement to end more than 15 months of deadly Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, with the ceasefire set to take effect at 8:30 a.m. local time (0630GMT) on Sunday.

Nearly 47,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, were killed and more than 110,700 injured in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, according to local health authorities.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala