42 Palestinians, 14 Israelis to be released on Saturday as part of Israel-Hamas hostage swap deal

By Zein Khalil

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – The Israeli Prison Service announced on Saturday that it had received an additional list of the names of 42 Palestinian male and female prisoners who will be released as part of the second batch of the hostage swap deal between Israel and Hamas.

"We received a list of the names of 42 Palestinian prisoners who will be released today, Saturday," the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth said, citing a statement issued by the Prison Service.

“The prisoners will be transferred at approximately 1:30 p.m. (1130GMT) to Ofer Prison in the West Bank, where they will be identified by the Red Cross and await the arrival of the Israeli hostages,” the statement added.

The released prisoners will then be transported to the relevant checkpoints by the Red Cross and under the supervision of the Israeli Border Police.

Meanwhile, the Israeli Channel 12 reported that a list of 14 Israeli prisoners has been sent to the Israeli side.

"Hamas is expected to release 14 Israeli hostages within the framework of the second phase of the deal," it added.

Israel and Hamas swapped 24 Israelis and foreigners for 39 Palestinians from Israeli jails on Friday, on the first day of a four-day humanitarian pause.

Under the agreement, the hostages will be released in batches over the course of four days.

Israel launched a massive military campaign against the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas last month,

It has since killed at least 14,854 Palestinians, including 6,150 children and over 4,000 women, according to health authorities in the enclave.

The official Israeli death toll stands at 1,200.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi