Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, ordered the release 153 PA-Fatah detainees as a "goodwill gesture" before the month of Ramadan, senior officials in Gaza said on Thursday. Islam Shahwan, the spokesperson of the security forces in Gaza, said all the detainees had received services while in prison. “The prisoners [are taking] psychological and religious courses along with learning the holy Qur’an by heart," he said.
Captain Hatem Siyam, the director of Gaza central prison said that prisoners have been cleared for release by a panel of high-ranking police officers, in consultation with legal officials, the Ma'an news organization reported.
Siyam said that so-called "security" detainees and those charged with major criminal offenses had been excluded.