Government officials explained that the reason for the delay of several hours in freeing 87 Arab terrorists is that President Shimon Peres has not completed signing the necessary papers. His approval is necessary in order to pardon criminals.

The process will take up most of the morning, and the terrorists are to be released in the afternoon. Authorities said the terrorists belong to the Palestine Front for the Liberation of Palestine and to the Fatah movement, which is headed by Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. The government has termed Abbas a "moderate" despite the involvement of Fatah terrorists in attacks on Israel.