The Israeli Prison Authority announced on Friday its readiness to release a second group of Palestinian detainees as part of a ceasefire agreement with Hamas.

The move follows the terms set in the ongoing truce aimed at exchanging prisoners and halting hostilities in Gaza.

According to Hebrew media outlets, the upcoming release will include high-profile Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences, such as Zakaria Zubeidi, Ahmed Al-Barghouti, Wael Qasem, and Mahmoud Atallah. The prison authority has stated it is "preparing operationally and logistically" to execute the release, having received the list of security prisoners from the political authorities.

The detainees will be transferred to two main gathering centers, Ofer Prison in the central occupied West Bank and Negev Prison in southern Israel, where they will be identified by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). They are to remain there until the procedures for releasing Israeli prisoners from Gaza are finalized.

In a parallel move, Hamas has announced the names of four Israeli female soldiers set to be freed on Saturday in the second exchange of captives. Under the agreement, Israel is obligated to release 50 Palestinian detainees for each female soldier, with 30 of those being prisoners with life sentences and 20 others with high-term sentences.

Last Sunday marked the first day of the ceasefire, with Israel releasing 90 Palestinian detainees in exchange for three Israeli captives from Hamas. This truce comes after a devastating conflict that has resulted in over 47,000 Palestinian deaths, primarily women and children, since October 7, 2023.

The ceasefire is structured in three phases, with the current six-week phase focusing on prisoner exchanges and aiming for a long-term peace, including the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. The conflict has devastated Gaza, leaving its inhabitants displaced, facing hunger, and vulnerable to diseases. (ILKHA)