Türkiye to host 15 Palestinians forced to live abroad after release from Israeli prison
Ankara works to ensure secure life for Palestinians forced to live outside their homeland, say security sources
ANKARA/ISTANBUL
Türkiye will host 15 Palestinians who were forced to live outside their homeland after being released from an Israeli prison following a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, according to Turkish security sources.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan instructed the country's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) to facilitate safe travel for the Palestinians and provide them with a secure life in Türkiye, the sources said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
As part of the Gaza ceasefire that began on Jan. 19, Israel will release several detainees in exchange for freed hostages, and some prisoners serving life sentences will be deported from Palestine and banned from returning.
In support of the ceasefire, President Erdogan instructed MIT that Türkiye, along with other countries, will host Palestinians forced to live outside their homeland after being released from prison.
The Turkish intelligence organization acted swiftly to facilitate the arrival of 15 displaced Palestinians through Egypt as efforts were made to provide them with a secure life in Türkiye, according to the sources.
Following months of brutal Israeli military attacks in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli government and the Palestinian resistance group Hamas signed an agreement last month to cease hostilities and exchange Israeli hostages in Gaza with Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
The first phase of the prisoner exchange began on Jan. 19, with three Israeli women freed in exchange for 90 Palestinian detainees—women and minors—from the occupied West Bank, including Jerusalem.
In the second phase, Israel released 199 Palestinian detainees and a Jordanian prisoner in exchange for four Israeli women soldiers held in Gaza.
Under the three-stage agreement, lasting 42 days per phase, Israel agreed to release between 1,700 and 2,000 Palestinian and Arab detainees in exchange for 33 Israeli captives in Gaza, whether alive or deceased.
Israel’s genocidal war has killed more than 47,500 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and injured over 111,600 since Oct. 7, 2023.
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