Palestinians gather on both sides of the road as International Red Cross vehicles arrive south of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on October 13, 2025. (Photo by Bashar Taleb / AFP)
Occupied Jerusalem: The exchange of Palestinian detainees and Israeli captives in the Gaza Strip began Monday morning as part of the initial phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) receiving seven Israeli captives. Meanwhile, Palestine Red Crescent Society crews entered Ofer Prison, west of Ramallah, to transfer a sick Palestinian detainee slated for release.
The first phase of the plan proposed by US President Donald Trump to end the war in the Gaza Strip includes the release of all living Israeli captives held in Gaza -- a total of 20 people -- in two groups. In addition, 28 bodies will be handed over gradually, depending on the progress of recovery efforts under the rubble in the Gaza Strip.
In exchange, Israeli occupation authorities will release 250 Palestinian detainees serving life sentences, along with 1,718 detainees from Gaza who were arrested after the war began on Oct. 7, 2023.
Authorities have transferred detainees designated for release from five central prisons to Ofer Prison, west of Ramallah, and others to Ketziot Prison in the Negev, in preparation for their transfer to the Gaza Strip and subsequently to Egypt.
The swap process is being conducted under the supervision of an Egyptian-Qatari-US joint committee, which monitors the implementation of the ceasefire agreement.
On Oct. 9, US President Trump announced an agreement to implement the first phase of his Middle East peace plan, which he had outlined earlier on Sept. 29. The plan calls for ending the war in Gaza, the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces, the entry of humanitarian aid, and the exchange of captives and detainees.
The ceasefire took effect last Friday, marking the start of the 72-hour deadline set by the agreement for completing the exchange process.
According to organizations concerned with Palestinian detainees' affairs, the number of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons exceeds 11,000, amid dire conditions including torture, starvation, and systematic medical neglect, which has led to several deaths in custody.
The number of detainees sentenced to life imprisonment has reached 350, with indictments filed paving the way for additional sentences. There are 53 female prisoners, including three from Gaza and two girls, and about 400 child prisoners held in Ofer and Megiddo prisons. The number of administrative detainees -- held without trial -- has reached around 3,380 as of October, the institutions reported.
