Kadoura Fares, the head of the Palestinian Prisoner Club, told the Ma'an news organization that 3,000 terrorists are expected to be released as part of the deal being negotiated to free the remaining 98 hostages in Gaza. According to him, in the first phase of the deal, 25 hostages will be released in exchange for 48 terrorists who were previously released in the Shalit deal and were arrested for returning to terrorist activities, as well as 200 terrorists who were sentenced to life imprisonment. In addition, according to him, in the first phase of the deal, about 1,000 additional terrorists will be released, including terrorists who are ill, women, or minors. Fares said that the total number of terrorists that will be released will be about 3,000. This high number is due to Israel's attempt to free all of its hostages, including IDF soldiers who were abducted on October 7, 2023. The Hamas terrorist organization is demanding a higher price for the soldiers. He stated that most of the terrorists are expected to return to their homes - with the exception of terrorists serving very serious sentences who will be deported to Qatar, Turkey, or Egypt. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday confirmed that Mossad chief David Barnea will leave for Qatar with a delegation of senior officials, for the purpose of advancing negotiations for a ceasefire-prisoner swap deal between Israel and Hamas. The Prime Minister "held a discussion to assess the situation regarding the hostages and the missing with the Defense Minister, the heads of the security establishment, and with the American negotiators of both the incoming and outgoing administrations," a statement said. "At the conclusion of the discussion, the Prime Minister directed the Mossad Director, the ISA Director, Maj.-Gen. (Res) Nitzan Alon, and his Foreign Policy Adviser, Dr. Ophir Falk, to depart for Doha in order to continue advancing a deal to release our hostages."
