Israel’s Justice Ministry on Friday published the names of 250 Palestinian security prisoners serving life sentences who are slated for release under the U.S.-brokered hostage and ceasefire agreement, a deal officials hope will mark the formal end of the Gaza war.

The list’s publication follows the cabinet’s late-night approval of the agreement, which conditions the prisoners’ release on the full return of Israeli hostages — both living and dead — within a 72-hour window.

Under the plan, 15 of the prisoners will return to East Jerusalem, 100 to the West Bank, and 135 will be deported abroad. Negotiators finalized last-minute changes Friday morning, substituting 11 Fatah-affiliated inmates for Hamas members after renewed pressure from the terror group’s leadership.

Despite demands from Hamas, several high-profile prisoners remain excluded from the list. Marwan Barghouti, the influential Fatah leader convicted for orchestrating deadly attacks during the Second Intifada, is not among those to be freed. Neither are Ahmad Sa’adat, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine’s general secretary, nor senior Hamas operatives Ibrahim Hamed and Hassan Salameh — both serving multiple life terms for major terror attacks.

In addition to the 250 long-term inmates, Israel will release 1,700 Gazan detainees held since the October 7 Hamas assault but not directly involved in the attack. Most will return to Gaza, while others will be exiled abroad.

Among those listed for release is Iyad Abu al-Rub, a senior Islamic Jihad commander in Jenin convicted for organizing three suicide bombings in 2003, 2004, and 2005 that killed 13 Israelis. Other names include Muhammad Zakarneh, a Fatah operative behind a 2009 murder of an Israeli taxi driver, and Muhammad Abu al-Rub, who fatally stabbed an Israeli civilian in 2017.

Also slated for release is Mahmoud Qawasmeh, a Hamas member previously freed in the 2011 Gilad Shalit deal and deported to Gaza, who was re-arrested during Israel’s 2024 Gaza offensive.

The Justice Ministry said the list will remain open to legal appeals for 24 hours before final authorization. Officials stressed that the exchange — one of the most expansive in recent history — hinges entirely on Hamas fulfilling its commitment to return all hostages under international supervision.

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