Hamas, Israel in discussions over list of prisoners to be released: Palestinian sources

GAZA -- Indirect talks between Hamas and Israel, conducted through Egyptian, Qatari, and Turkish mediators, have reached their "final stage," with discussions centered on the list of prisoners to be released, Palestinian sources said on Sunday.

Under the recently reached ceasefire deal, Hamas will release 20 living hostages and 28 deceased hostages held in Gaza since the Israel-Hamas conflict began on Oct 7, 2023. In exchange, Israel will free roughly 2,000 Palestinian detainees.

The two sides remain divided over the list of prisoners to be released. The Palestinian sources said that Hamas insists on including senior figures such as Fatah's leader Marwan Barghouti and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine's leader Ahmed Saadat, while Israel opposes their inclusion and prefers to release women, minors, and prisoners serving medium-term sentences.

A senior Hamas official, who preferred not to mention his name, told Xinhua that the movement has maintained intensive contacts with mediators over the past two days to expand the prisoner list and secure the release of the longest-serving detainees.

The official said the mediators "are working continuously to overcome the final obstacles" before the official announcement.

He affirmed that Hamas "is committed to implementing the agreement on the specified date, as part of a humanitarian framework supervised by international partners."

In a press statement, Hamas' Prisoners' Information Office said that "some complex issues remain unresolved," delaying the announcement of the final names, but confirmed that "ongoing efforts aim to ensure that the deal includes all categories, including women, children, and prisoners from Gaza."

On the Israeli side, government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian said that Hamas is expected to release all 20 living hostages held in Gaza early Monday morning.

Speaking at a press briefing, Bedrosian said an international task force would be established to help locate the remains of hostages who died in captivity and whose bodies Hamas has been unable to find.

Israel's Channel 15 reported that the army has placed special units on alert inside the Gaza Strip in anticipation of any unexpected developments during the exchange process.

Israeli security officials have also decided to impose tight restrictions around areas believed to contain the bodies of Israeli captives killed during the conflict, to prevent any interference with ongoing efforts to locate and recover remains.