Israel has agreed to release 110 Palestinian prisoners today as part of the third phase of a ceasefire and captive exchange deal with Hamas.
The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society confirmed the release, which includes prominent figures such as theatre director and resistance fighter Zakaria Zubeidi, along with 30 children. The freed individuals are expected to arrive in Ramallah’s Radana area in the occupied West Bank around 12 PM local time.
As part of the exchange, Hamas and other Palestinian factions will also release eight captives—three Israelis and five Thai nationals. However, 20 of the released Palestinian prisoners will be exiled, with their destinations currently unknown.
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Among the released individuals is Zakaria Zubeidi, a former leader of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a militant faction linked to Fatah. Zubeidi gained international recognition for his 2021 jailbreak from a high-security Israeli prison. Beyond his role in armed resistance, he also founded The Freedom Theatre in Jenin in 2006 to promote cultural resistance through the arts.
This latest exchange brings the total number of freed Palestinian prisoners to 400 since the ceasefire began. However, Israeli forces have continued arresting Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including recent deadly raids in the Jenin refugee camp, where at least 16 Palestinians have been killed and dozens injured.
Currently, over 10,000 Palestinians remain incarcerated in Israeli prisons, with more than 3,300 held in administrative detention without charge. Human rights organizations have raised concerns over the treatment of detainees, particularly those reportedly subjected to harsh conditions in makeshift detention camps in the Naqab desert.
