(MENAFN) Israeli authorities transferred Palestinian detainees to two prisons on Saturday in preparation for their upcoming release under a Gaza ceasefire arrangement, according to reports.

Prisoners who are scheduled to be sent to Gaza or deported via the Rafah border crossing were relocated to Ketziot Prison in the Negev region of southern Israel. Those expected to be released from the occupied West Bank were transferred to Ofer Prison, located west of Ramallah.

The Israeli Prison Service confirmed that the transfers to the respective facilities, from which the prisoners will ultimately be released, have been completed. Reports noted that thousands of prison officers participated in the operation, moving detainees in multiple secure convoys.

Local sources indicated that the releases are likely to commence on Monday, once Israel recovers its citizens currently held by Hamas. Under the agreement, a total of 2,000 Palestinian prisoners — including 250 serving life sentences and 1,700 detained in Gaza since the conflict began in October 2023 — are set to be freed in exchange for 48 Israeli hostages. Israel’s Justice Ministry recently published the names of the 250 prisoners serving life sentences who are included in the swap.

The Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office, linked to Hamas, disputed having reached a consensus regarding the prisoner lists involved in the exchange.

Tel Aviv estimates that 48 Israelis remain in Gaza, with 20 reported alive, while more than 11,100 Palestinians are held in Israeli prisons. Many detainees reportedly endure torture, starvation, and inadequate medical care — conditions that have resulted in fatalities, according to various human rights and media reports.

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