On Saturday morning, the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Group Hamas, are preparing to hand over six Israeli prisoners to the International Red Cross (ICRC) crews as part of the first phase of the prisoner exchange deal provided for in the ceasefire agreement that entered into force on 19 January last.

Al-Qassam has been conducting preparations since early today in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, the area where the extradition of Israeli prisoners is scheduled, according to the Palestinian Press Agency “Safa”.

In return, 50 prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment, 60 high sentences, 47 re-arrested “Wafa al-Ahrar” prisoners, and 445 Gaza prisoners arrested after October 7, 2023, will be released.