Israel agrees to release over 300 Palestinians in deal for Gaza hostages

Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office has said that some 369 Palestinians, including 36 sentenced to life imprisonment, will be released from Israeli prisons in exchange for the release of three hostages held in the Gaza Strip on February 15.

"On Saturday [February 15], as part of the agreement with Israel, 36 Palestinians sentenced to life terms and 333 residents of Gaza, arrested after October 7, 2023, will be freed," the office wrote on its Telegram channel, Caliber.Az reports per Russian media. 

Israel is expecting the radical Palestinian group Hamas to submit a list of three hostages to be released on February 15. Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdel Rahman Al-Thani, is expected to send the list to David Barnea, head of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency. 

If the hostages are freed over the weekend, it is anticipated that the crisis threatening the truce will be resolved. The hostage crisis stems from the terrorist attack on the morning of October 7, 2023, when rocket fire from Gaza targeted central Israel, marking the beginning of the assault. This was followed by a breach of the Gaza-Israel border by thousands of militants who infiltrated Israeli territory. The militants killed over a thousand civilians, in addition to hundreds of police officers and military personnel. During the attack, hundreds of Israelis and foreign nationals were taken hostage, many of whom remain in Gaza. 

As of February 9, 2025, Hamas holds 73 hostages in Gaza. Of these, 70 were taken on October 7, 2023, while three were abducted in 2014. At least 50 of those abducted are confirmed dead, their bodies being held by Hamas, including Hadar Goldin, who was taken in 2014. Since the October 7 attacks, 181 hostages have been either freed or found dead. Notable releases include four Israelis who were freed and one soldier rescued by IDF forces before November 24, 2023. Between November 24 and 30, 2023, a deal with Hamas resulted in the release of 81 Israelis and 24 foreign nationals. 

In addition, 16 hostages died in captivity, their bodies being recovered by IDF forces, while three others were accidentally killed by IDF fire. Special operations have led to additional rescues, including two hostages saved in Rafah on February 12, 2024, and four freed in Nusairat on June 8, 2024. On August 27, another hostage was saved, followed by the recovery of six bodies on August 31. 

On December 4, 2024, the body of another hostage was returned to Israel, and in January 2025, the body of Oron Shaul, who had been killed in Gaza in 2014, was brought back. Most recently, between January and February 2025, a prisoner exchange deal led to the release of 21 hostages.

By Naila Huseynova