The IDF and Israel Prison Service (IPS) prepared heavily for a complex prisoner exchange operation which commenced Sunday evening, as three hostages — Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher, and Emily Damari — were released from Hamas captivity on Sunday, according to a joint statement from the military and IPS. Special Operations forces received the released women from the International Red Cross before transferring them to hospitals for treatment.
The IPS mobilized 1,500 officers from the Nachshon and Masada units for an operation to oversee the release of 90 prisoners on Thursday evening. Of the 90 released, 78 are heading to the West Bank, with 12 being transferred to east Jerusalem.
It was previously iterated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the released prisoners would be released to Gaza or abroad and not to the West Bank.
IPS Commissioner Lt.-Gen. Kobi Yaakobi conducted a final situational review of the operation, named "Derech Eretz."
The prisoners will be transported away from their first point and to a central processing point at Ofer Prison, where their identities will be verified by Red Cross representatives.
The prisoners were only to be released following confirmation that released hostages Gonen, Steinbrecher, and Damari were back in Israeli territory.
Those being transported to the West Bank will be transported on Red Cross buses, IPS announced, while the few being transported to east Jerusalem will be transferred to police custody, who will oversee their release.
The IPS prepared for potential prisoner escape scenarios through a series of drills, and also noted several challenges the agency faced in properly identifying prisoners.
"We take pride in stepping back and extending a hand to bring dozens of living hostages home, and we will also take pride and resolve in returning to fight," IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi stated as he visited Nahal Brigade soldiers in Beit Hanun.
He added, "We wouldn’t have reached this agreement under these conditions if Hamas weren’t in such dire straits. Since October 6, we have eliminated approximately 3,000 terrorists and taken hundreds more into custody."
Most of the prisoners on the list are women, and only one prisoner on the list under the age of 18 at the time of their arrest was convicted of murder, according to Ynet.
The list of names on the Justice Ministry's website shows that a vast majority of those arrested were after the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023. Less than 10 were arrested before the attacks.
Among the prominent names on the list is attorney Khalida Jarrar, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council who represents the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
Jarrar is designated by the Shin Bet as the head of the PFLP in the West Bank.
Jarrar is a political activist and a feminist figure in Palestinian society. She played a significant role in the Palestinian Authority’s legal battle against Israel at the International Criminal Court, according to Ynet.
Who else is being released?
Abla Saadat, the wife of Ahmed Saadat, Secretary-General of the PFLP, who planned the assassination of Minister Rehavam Ze’evi and has been imprisoned since 2006, is set to be released as well. In November, more than 60 PFLP members involved in terrorist activities, including Abla, were arrested. Hamas eagerly is seeking the release of her husband.
Additionally, Nahil Masalmeh, 37, who planned an attack on a security officer at the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, will be released. She was arrested while carrying a knife. Nahil's husband, Ahed Dodin, a senior Hamas operative, is also in detention, Ynet reported.
A 17-year-old east Jerusalemite girl who attempted a stabbing attack on police officers in the Old City in May 2024 will also be released in the deal's first phase, as well as Noal Abd Fattah, who stabbed a 70-year-old man with a 20 cm knife on the Armon Hanatziv Promenade, will also be released. She was scheduled to be released in 2028.
The list of the prisoners to be released includes men and women from across the West Bank and east Jerusalem. Those released in the first round are listed below:
Nawal Mohammed Mahmoud Abdel Fatiha
Jamal Ibrahim Salama Kaabneh
Adam Khalil Ibrahim Hadra
Muweid Omar Abdullah Al-Hajj
Ibrahim Sultan Ibrahim Zamar
Abdul Rahman Amjad Jameel Khader
Saied Mazid Saied Salim
Mohammed Annan Fawzi Bashkar
Issam Mamoun Mohammed Abu Diab
Thaer Ayoub Rashid Abu Sarah
Fahmy Mohamed Fahmy Farroukh
Qasim Iyad Mohammed Jaafari
Youssef Jamal Ayyad Al-Harimi
Firas Jihad Ahmed Al-Maqdisi
Abdul Aziz Mohammed Abdul Aziz Atawneh
Fadi Bassam Mohammed Hindi
Osama Nasser Jubran Abdo Ataya
Ayham Ali Issa Jaradat
Aseel Osama Omar Shahada
Tamara Muammar Hussein Abu Laban
Mahmoud Mohammed Daoud Aliwat
Laith Mohammed Naji Kamil
Jenin Mohammed Taha Amr
Nafisa Rashid Farid Zorba
Khalida Kanaan Mohammed Jarar
Yasmine Abdel Rahman Rashid Abu Surur
Fatima Nimr Mohammed Rimawi
Dalal Mohammed Suleiman Khaseeb
Fatima Mohammed Suleiman Saqr
Rana Jamal Mohammed Eid
Ahmed Walid Mohammed Khashan
Zahrat Wahib Abdel Fattah Khadraj
Balqis Issa Ali Zawahra
Dhaha Azzam Ahmed Al-Wahsh
Halima Fayeq Suleiman Abu Amara
Mona Ahmed Qasim Abu Hussein
Bushra Jamal Muhammad Tawil
Rayida Janem Mohammed Abdul Majeed
Marjana Mohamed Mustafa Harish
Wala Khalid Fawzi Tunji
Rawdat Musa Abdul Qader Abu Ajamiya
Rula Ibrahim Abdel Rahim Hassanein
Ahmed Bashar Juma Abu Alia
Saja Zuhair Mohammed Al-Maadi
Shaimaa Mohammed Abdul Jalil Rawajbeh
Salwa Attia Mahmoud Hamdan
Rose Youssef Mohammed Khuwais
Fatima Youssef Ali Al-Farakhna
Hanin Akram Mahmoud Al-Masaeed
Jihad Ghazi Ahmed Judeh
Nida Ali Ahmed Zaghbi
Amal Ziad Omar Shujaiya
Lubna Mazen Salim Talalwa
Ala Mahmoud Qasim Joda
Ayat Youssef Saleh Mahfouz
Hadeel Mohammed Hussein Hijaz
Wafaa Ahmed Abdullah Nimr
Rasha Ghassan Mohammed Hijjawi
Zeina Majd Abdel Rahim Barbar
Israa Hader Ahmed Ghneimat
Tuhani Jamal Abdel Ashour
Aya Omar Youssef Ramadan
Shaima Omar Youssef Ramadan
Donia Ashtiyeh Marouf Ashtiyeh
Alaa Jad Allah Nabhan Qadi
Nahil Kamal Mustafa Musallam
Khatam Aref Hassan Khabayba
Aseel Mohammed Jamal Eid
Alaa Samir Harb Abu Rahima
Bara'at Hatim Hafiz Fiqha
Shaza Nawaf Abdul Jabbar Jaraba
Dania Saqr Muhammad Hanatsheh
Saja Imad Saad Draghmeh
Alamamat Ibrahim Hassan Al-Harinat
Raghad Walid Mahmoud Amr
Hanan Ammar Bilal Maalwani
Raghad Khader Deeb Mubarak
Ashwaq Muhammad Ayyad Awad
Iman Ibrahim Ahmed Zaid
Tahrir Badran Badr Jaber
Abla Mohamed Othman Abdel Rasoul
Israa Abdul Fattah Muhammad Al-Lahham
Maysar Mohammed Saeed Al-Faqih
Abeer Mohammed Hamdan Baara
Samah Bilal Abdul Rahman Souf
Margaret Mohamed Mahmoud Al-Raei
Latifah Khaled Ramadan Msha'sha
Israa Mustafa Mohammed Bari
Alaa Khaled Mohammed Saqr
Lana Farouk Naeem Fawaleha
Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.