Qatari Foreign Ministry Spokesman Majed Al-Ansari (Al Jazeera)
The Qatari Foreign Ministry announced that 39 Palestinian prisoners will be released tonight in exchange for 13 Israelis in the second batch of the exchange deal, according to the truce agreement between Hamas and Israel brokered by Doha and supported by Cairo and Washington.
The Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman said 39 Palestinians would be released tonight while 13 Israeli detainees held by the resistance in Gaza would be released.
The spokesman added that after a delay in implementing the release of the prisoners, "obstacles were overcome through Qatari and Egyptian contacts".
For its part, Hamas said it had responded "to the appreciated Egyptian-Qatari efforts that moved throughout the day to ensure the continuation of the interim truce agreement."
The group had earlier said Israel had violated the truce agreement and said it would postpone the release of the second batch of prisoners until the terms of the agreement were fully complied with.
It is noteworthy that the temporary truce between Israel and Hamas came into effect on Friday, and requires a four-day ceasefire and the release of 4 Israeli women and children detained in Gaza, in exchange for the release of 50 Palestinian women and children held captive by Israel.
The truce was reached after a 48-day Israeli assault on Gaza that killed some 15,<> Palestinians, mostly women and children.
Source : Al Jazeera + Agencies