Israeli authorities began transferring Palestinian prisoners to two detention facilities ahead of their planned release under the Gaza ceasefire agreement, local media reported.
Israel’s public broadcaster KAN on Saturday said prisoners set to be released to Gaza or deported through the Rafah border crossing were moved to Ketziot Prison.
Those expected to be freed from the occupied West Bank were taken to Ofer Prison, west of Ramallah, it added.
Under the deal, 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including 250 serving life sentences and 1,700 detained in Gaza since the war began in October 2023, will be released in exchange for 48 Israeli captives.
Israel on Friday published the names of the 250 prisoners serving life terms.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office denied reaching a consensus on the lists of prisoners included in the exchange.
The first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement took effect on Friday at 0900 GMT.
Israeli forces completed a gradual withdrawal to the so-called yellow line that afternoon, triggering the 72-hour window for the exchange process.
Israeli withdrawal
Meanwhile, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM) Brad Cooper visited Gaza on Saturday, according to reports.
Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth daily and Fox News correspondent reported that Witkoff and Cooper’s visit was aimed at confirming that Israeli forces’ withdrawal to the agreed areas was concluded.
In a statement, the US commander said that he paid a visit to Gaza “to inform how we are moving forward to establish a CENTCOM-led Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) that will synchronise activities to support post-conflict stabilisation.”
“This great effort will be achieved with no US boots on the ground in Gaza,” Cooper said.
