Israeli–Palestinian prisoner exchange

The negotiations were brokered by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, and were part of a broader temporary ceasefire agreement.

Israel released 240 Palestinian prisoners, 107 of whom were between 14 and 17 years old, and three-quarters of whom had not been convicted of a crime, although some were awaiting trial in a military court.

[9] Following the deportation of several thousand detained Gazan workers, the Palestinian Commission for Detainees and Ex-Prisoners' Affairs placed the number at approximately 8,300.

[10][11][12] Some have been convicted of terrorism by Israeli authorities; the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories describes many convictions as resulting from "a litany of violations of international law, including due process violations, that taint the legitimacy of the administration of justice by the occupying power.

[15] Hamas listed the freeing of Palestinians from Israeli prisons as one of the primary motivations for the 7 October attack in Israel.

[35] On 12 August 2024, 18 year old Tariq Daoud, who was released during the swap, carried out a attack, shooting and seriously wounding an Israeli man along with two Palestinians.

[37] Many Palestinian prisoners are held in Israel under administrative detention, arrested for crimes such as speech and nonviolent protest.

[38][39] Israeli authorities, however, have labeled all the released prisoners as "terrorists"; they had been detained for "offenses related to Israel’s security", from throwing stones to supporting terrorism and attempted murder.

[47] A 17-year-old boy stated child inmates' blankets and pillows, spare clothes, and window coverings had been removed.

[51] Another teenage boy described being stripped naked and kicked by a prison officer wearing steel-toe boots.

[53] Some, including the Palestinian writer and journalist Lama Khater, reported being threatened with rape and attacked by muzzled dogs.

[54][55] Prisoners report being denied bathing and forced to wear a single item of clothing for weeks, and disease has accordingly spread as a result of the poor sanitary conditions.

[60] Testimony collected from released women by B'Tselem found they had faced extreme violence and even the threat of rape.

[62][63][64] The mistreatment of Palestinians at the hands of Israeli forces included “starvation crimes, systematic medical crimes, and the infection of a number of them with scabies, in addition to the severe beatings that the prisoners were subjected to before their release,” said the society, which adds that Israeli abuse escalated after October 7, 2023, and that some prisoners suffered fractured ribs.

Othman Abu Khurj reported being beaten alongside other released Palestinians by Israeli soldiers in the presence of the Red Cross.

[69] Israeli raids in Beitunia were reportedly conducted ahead of prisoner releases to prevent celebrations from taking place.

[71][72] Srettha Thavisin, the Prime Minister of Thailand, confirmed on social media that 12 Thai hostages were released from Gaza.

Specialists from the Israeli Ministry of Social Welfare and psychologists, developed instructions on how soldiers should behave in different situations when communicating with returned child hostages.

"[86] The aunt of a released 12-year old hostage said that the child was beaten by Hamas fighters, adding that crying children were threatened with guns to be silent.

He added that they were all underfed, generally being given one pita a day, and were only allowed to shower once during the almost two months they were held;[88] according to the Israeli Health Ministry, some of the released elderly women had lost between 8 and 15 kg during their time in captivity.

[77] The uncle of two child-hostages described them being "branded" with the exhaust pipe of a motorbike, in order to make it easier to recapture them should they escape,[89][90] as well as being drugged.

[94] The negotiations lasted for many months, primarily focusing on the proposal put forward by U.S. President Joe Biden, which includes three phases in which hostages would be released and a ceasefire would be implemented.

[95] The negotiations were greatly influenced by the new conditions created as a result of various Israeli operations in Gaza and the Middle East in general.

[100][101][102] The Assad Syria regime collapsed after Syrian rebel forces launched a series of offensives, taking advantage, according to The Times of Israel, of the weakening by Israel of Syrian allies Hezbollah and Iran, as well as the weakened state of Syria's ally Russia due to its ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

[105] On the other hand, top U.S officials John Kirby and Antony Blinken accuse Hamas of hindering progress and constantly causing the failures to reach a hostages deal and ceasefire.

[113] Prior to its conclusion, U.S. president-elect Donald Trump repeatedly warned that failure to release the hostages, including seven American citizens, before his 20 January inauguration would result in "hell to pay".

[118] Later, Hamas released three female hostages, Emily Damari, Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher, to the custody of the Red Cross, who transferred them to Israeli authorities.