Israeli forces storm homes of Palestinian prisoners set for release in Jerusalem
Prisoners scheduled to be released as part of 1st phase of prisoner exchange deal
Israeli police raided homes in East Jerusalem belonging to Palestinian prisoners set to be released later Sunday as part of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, according to a local non-governmental organization.
"Israeli forces are surrounding the home of Jerusalemite prisoner Zeina Barbar in the Ras al-Amoud neighborhood (in East Jerusalem)," the Wadi Hilweh Information Center said in a Facebook post.
The center said Barbar was scheduled to be released as part of the first phase of a prisoner exchange deal.
"The Israeli army also raided the home of prisoner Adam al-Hadra, who is scheduled for release, in the Al-Tur neighborhood in East Jerusalem. Additionally, Israeli forces heavily deployed around the home of prisoner Qasim Ja'afra in Jabal al-Mukabber," added the center, which specializes in documenting Israeli violations in Jerusalem.
It confirmed that al-Hadra and Ja'afra were scheduled to be released within the next few hours as part of the first phase of the exchange deal.
The center noted that police also raided homes in other areas of Jerusalem belonging to prisoners set to be released to prevent any celebrations or welcoming events for them.
The Palestinian resistance group Hamas handed over three Israeli captives to the Red Cross on Sunday under the first phase of a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.
The Gaza ceasefire agreement took effect Sunday at 11.15 a.m. local time (0915GMT) after being delayed for a few hours due to Israel accusing the Palestinian group Hamas of delaying the discharge of a list of captives set to be released.
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Nearly 47,000 people have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 110,700 injured in Israel's genocidal war on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, according to local health authorities.
The Israeli war has left more than 11,000 people missing, with widespread destruction and a humanitarian crisis that has claimed the lives of many elderly people and children in one of the worst global humanitarian disasters ever.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
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