Hamas Pushes for Key Prisoner Releases in Gaza Ceasefire Deal

Tue Oct 21 2025 02:00:31 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Amid ongoing negotiations for a ceasefire, Hamas is urging Israel to include high-profile Palestinian prisoners in a potential release agreement. The situation remains tense as the fate of hostages hangs in the balance.

As part of a ceasefire deal in Gaza, Hamas is calling on Israel to release prominent Palestinian prisoners, including Marwan Barghouti and Ahmad Saadat. Their absence from an initial release list has raised tensions, especially as negotiations continue for the return of hostages. The deal could see the return of 20 Israeli hostages and the release of approximately 250 Palestinian prisoners. The situation evolves amidst ongoing recovery efforts in Gaza following the recent violence.

Hamas is pressing Israel to include prominent Palestinians in a prisoner-release list as part of a ceasefire deal that will also see hostages returned from Gaza.

Hamas's insistence comes after the Israeli justice ministry published the names of 250 prisoners to be freed, but excluded seven high-profile prisoners, including Marwan Barghouti and Ahmad Saadat.

The men, who are serving sentences after being convicted of involvement in separate deadly attacks in Israel, have long been seen by Palestinians as symbols of resistance.

Twenty Israeli hostages are expected to be released before 12:00 (09:00 GMT) on Monday as part of the deal proposed by US President Donald Trump.

A senior Palestinian official familiar with the talks told the BBC that US envoy Steve Witkoff had promised to raise the exclusion of the Palestinian prisoners with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but Israel has firmly refused to include them.

It is not clear whether this could be a sticking point, or impact the timeline for the release of hostages from the Gaza Strip and Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

The releases are due to take place in the first phase of Trump's ceasefire and hostage return deal, approved this week to end the two-year war in Gaza.

Israel will also release about 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israeli jails, and another 1,700 Palestinians from Gaza who have been detained.

Barghouti is serving five life sentences plus 40 years after being convicted in 2004 of planning attacks that led to five civilians being killed. Opinion polls indicate he remains highly popular among Palestinians.

In Israel, hospitals are preparing for the release of hostages as families await their return. The first phase of the Israel-Hamas deal saw a ceasefire take effect and Israeli forces partially withdraw from parts of Gaza.

Hundreds of aid trucks are expected to enter Gaza as recovery efforts continue in the city, where many are still missing after the recent violence. Since the beginning of the conflict on October 7, approximately 67,682 Palestinians have been reported killed in the Israeli military offensive.