With the Gaza ceasefire set to take effect on Sunday morning, more details of the hostages-for-terrorists deal come to light. Israel will be making painful concessions to the terror group Hamas to secure the return of hostages.
Earlier, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet approved the framework of a three-phase hostage deal. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will initially pause its counter-terrorism operation in Gaza for six weeks.
In the first phase, Israel will release nearly 2,000 Palestinian terrorists, including “several serving multiple life sentences for deadly terror attacks and murder,” The Times of Israel noted.
Hamas is expected to release 33 hostages, of these only 25 are presumed to be alive. “Israeli officials said Saturday they believe 25 of the 33 hostages slated for release from Hamas captivity in the first phase of the deal approved by the government are alive,” the Israeli news website YNET reported. “In exchange for their return, Israel will release 737 Palestinian prisoners as part of the first phase of the cease-fire and hostage-prisoner exchange deal approved early Saturday.”
The Times of Israel described the details of the terrorists’ release:
Israel is set to release up to 1,904 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, including several serving multiple life sentences for deadly terror attacks and murder, in return for 33 Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip during the first, 42-day phase of its deal with Hamas, according to a government decision made early Saturday morning.The government approved the hostage and ceasefire deal after an eight-hour full cabinet meeting.Among the Palestinians to go free are 737 jailed detainees and security prisoners, some of whom are serving life sentences for murder.They include members of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Palestinian Authority’s ruling Fatah movement, along with women and children being held in Israeli jails. Some prisoners were released in 2011 in return for captive soldier Gilad Shalit later and re-arrested.The Justice Ministry had, as of Saturday morning, published the names of 735 Palestinian prisoners to allow petitions against their release to be submitted to the High Court.Israel will also be releasing 1,167 Palestinians detained in the Gaza Strip during the IDF’s ground offensive, who did not participate in the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, invasion and massacre in southern Israel.
A Palestinian terrorist, who raped an Israeli prison guard, is also expected to be freed as part of the deal. Israeli female prison guards urged the authorities to kick him out of the country, rather than releasing him in the general Palestinian population.
“Female prison guards at Gilboa prison appealed to Defense Minister Israel Katz through their lawyer that the terrorist Mahmoud Atallah, who had sexually assaulted them while imprisoned, be deported upon his release as a result of the hostage, ceasefire deal, army radio reported Saturday,” the Jerusalem Post reported.
Convicted murderer and rapist, Mahmoud Atallah, threatened his Israeli victim, vowing to ‘haunt’ her for the rest of her life. “Atallah was indicted in September 2023 for the rape of a female prison guard in the “prison pimping” case. He was also serving a life sentence plus 15 years for murdering a Palestinian woman accused of collaborating with Israel,” the newspaper added.
The Jerusalem Post further reported:
The statement also noted that during his imprisonment, “Atallah had explicitly threatened a guard who had also been raped by him” and made abhorrent statements such as “I will haunt you for the rest of my life” and that he “would be released and take her to Nablus.”Atallah was indicted in September 2023 for the rape of a female prison guard in the “prison pimping” case. He was also serving a life sentence plus 15 years for murdering a Palestinian woman accused of collaborating with Israel.For another of Atallah’s victims, the guards’ appeal wrote that “It is clearly stated that Atallah terrorized her and threatened her family members.”
The Israeli armed forces are gearing up to bring back hostages from Hamas captivity. “The IDF is preparing to implement the agreement for the return of the hostages that was approved by the political echelon,” the military disclosed. “The IDF has been preparing to receive the hostages after their release from Hamas captivity and is operating to provide suitable physical and psychological support, with careful attention to every detail.”
When the ceasefire takes effect, the IDF has vowed to protect the Israeli civilians living near the Gaza border. “Alongside the agreement and our commitment to bringing home all the hostages, the IDF will continue to operate to ensure the security of all Israeli citizens, particularly those in communities near the Gaza Strip,” the military stated.
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