602 Palestinians Released Today in Exchange for 6 Israelis Amid Doubts Over Netanyahu’s Intentions
Hamas and Israel Conduct Final Exchange of First Phase as Netanyahu Faces Accusations of Evading Next Steps.
Watan-All eyes are on Gaza and the West Bank today as an anticipated prisoner exchange between the Israeli occupation and Palestinian resistance factions is set to take place. This exchange marks the implementation of the first phase of the agreement, amid concerns about potential surprises from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The exchange will merge the seventh and eighth batches stipulated in the agreement, with Palestinian resistance expected to hand over the bodies of four Israelis next week, according to the Prisoners’ Information Office affiliated with Hamas.
Under this exchange, the resistance will release six Israeli captives in return for 602 Palestinian prisoners. Among them are 50 prisoners serving life sentences, 60 prisoners with high sentences, and 445 detainees from Gaza who were arrested after October 7.
Final Prisoner Exchange Under First Phase Amid Escalating Tensions
The Israeli army had previously announced that a body handed over on Thursday, initially believed to be that of Shiri Bibas, was determined not to be hers after DNA testing. Following this revelation, Netanyahu vowed that Hamas would “pay the price,” accusing the movement of acting in an “unimaginably deceitful manner.”
In response, Hamas rejected Netanyahu’s threats in a statement, asserting that it would investigate the matter while demanding the return of the remains and emphasizing the importance of proceeding with the full implementation of the agreement.
However, a source later confirmed to Al Jazeera that Al-Qassam Brigades handed over Bibas’ body to the International Red Cross on Friday evening.
Nahed Al-Fakhouri, media official at the Hamas-affiliated Prisoners’ Office, told Al-Quds Al-Arabi that the upcoming exchange—along with the four additional Israeli bodies held by resistance factions in Gaza, which are set to be handed over next week—will mark “the final exchange under the first phase of the agreement.” Any further exchanges, he noted, will be subject to negotiations for the second phase.
Israeli Restrictions and Political Maneuvers
Meanwhile, Israeli occupation forces prevented several families of Palestinian prisoners who are set to be deported to Egypt as a first destination from traveling through the Karama border crossing between the West Bank and Jordan. Palestinians viewed this measure as a form of collective punishment.
In Israel, analysts warned that Netanyahu might be using the Bibas case as a pretext to evade commitments to the second phase of the agreement.
Gulf, Egyptian, and Jordanian Summit Counters U.S. Resettlement Proposal
Separately, Gulf states, Egypt, and Jordan held an “informal” mini-summit in Saudi Arabia on Friday, as Arab countries seek to counter U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to relocate Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt and Jordan.
A source close to the Saudi government told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the summit “took place and concluded on Friday afternoon,” noting that Oman was absent. No official statement was released regarding the meeting.
Hamas Rejects Arab League Official’s Call to Step Down
In a related development, Hamas rejected comments made by Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ambassador Hossam Zaki, who called on the movement to step down from governing Gaza.
Meanwhile, in what could signal a shift in stance, U.S. President Trump stated on Friday that he was “not imposing” his resettlement plan for Palestinians from Gaza, expressing surprise at Egypt and Jordan’s rejection of the proposal.
