How many Palestinians has Israel released in Hamas hostage deal and how many are in Israeli prisons in total?

Rights group say there has been record high number of arrests of Palestinians since Hamas launched its bloody 7 October attack on southern Israel

A four-day truce has started which will see a total of 50 Israeli hostages released in exchange for 150 Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.

In this deal the first two groups of hostages - 26 Israeli women and children held in captivity by Hamas militants in Gaza - were released on Friday and Saturday.

At the same time, a total of 78 Palestinian women and children - three for every Israeli - were expected to be released from Israeli prisons, with the inmates handed to the International Committee of the Red Cross and gathered at Israel’s Ofer military jail before going home.

Marah Bakir, right, a former Palestinian prisoner who was released by the Israeli authorities, at her family home in east Jerusalem (AP)

The exchange has thrown a spotlight on Palestinian women and minors jailed in Israel, a surge in arrests since Hamas’s bloody attack on 7 October and accusations of arbitrary detention, and unfair trial - something Israel vehemently denies.

When news first broke of a ceasefire deal Israel released a list of 300 names in Hebrew of detainees that it said would be eligible for release. Israel has said the Qatari-brokered truce can be extended by a day for every 10 additional Israeli hostages that are released.

In tandem, there will be the additional release of Palestinians. Israel has said it refused to include prisoners convicted of murder on the release lists but those convicted of attempted murder, however, could be.

Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy accused the Palestinian prisoners due to be released of having “blood on their hands”, telling Sky News they were “convicted of stabbing and shooting attacks”.

Former Palestinian female prisoner Hanna Barghouti wears a Hamas headband while she is received by supporters upon her arrival in the West Bank town of Beitunia (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

On the list are 123 minors, with the youngest aged 14 who was arrested in May on offences listed as “sabotage activity… assault against a police officer and throwing stones”. He is one of five who are also 14 years old.

The eldest on the list is 59 year old Hanan Saleh Barghouti who was arrested in September and released on Friday. She was among several being held in administrative detention, which means a person is held without trial or charge - something international and Palestinian rights groups said could amount to arbitrary detention and so a war crime.

Rights groups say that there has been a record high number of arrests of Palestinians since Hamas launched its bloody 7 October attack on southern Israel, abducting approximately 240 people.

Palestinian rights group Addameer told The Independent that since then they have documented more than 3,100 cases of arrest of Palestinians including 100 women and 40 journalists.

Eighty per cent of those arrested since 7 October are being held - like Hanan - in administrative detention. They believe there now 7,000 Palestinians in Israel jails, among that number are 200 child prisoners and 62 women.

Former Palestinian prisoners were released on the first day of a four-day cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

The Israeli prisons service said there are more than 6,000 Palestinian prisoners in the country. The Israeli military has said repeatedly is conducting counter terrorism raids and is apprehending wanted terror suspects.

Amnesty international says right now more than 2,000 Palestinians are being held in administrative detention - which is a historic high and a significant increase from 1,300 administrative detentions recorded before 7 October.

In a report released earlier this month the rights group said: “Administrative detention is one of the key tools through which Israel has enforced its system of apartheid against Palestinians”. Israel denies any such characterisation.

The report also said that there was mounting evidence of torture, with detainees stripped, beaten and humiliated in recent weeks. Israel vehemently denies these accusations.

An Israeli prison transport vehicle carries Palestinian prisoners released by the Israeli authorities from Ofer military prison near Jerusalem on Friday (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The Independent has documented testimony from Palestinians of Israelis in military uniform beating, stripping, urinating on and attempting to sexual assault Palestinians in the occupied West Bank - an incident the military said it was investigating. It follows other reports of violence that have appeared in videos which the military said “was deplorable and does not comply with the army’s orders. ‘

Addameer’s Tala Nasir said that they have documented that six prisoners and detainees have died in Israeli custody since 7 October. Two of the four were workers from the Gaza Strip held incommunicado in military detention centres.

In a statement released last month International Committee for the Red Cross has confirmed that Palestinian prisoners have been denied contact with their families and lawyers since 7 October.

Addameer said that around 3,000 workers from Gaza who were in Israel on the day of the attack were detained and then deported them to Gaza through Karem Abu Salem crossing. However, Addameer says the fate of around 700 workers remains unknown.