The second stage of the prisoner-exchange arranged with Hamas to release Gilad Schalit is set to proceed at 8 p.m. Sunday.
Other than two of the female prisoners, the 550 prisoners scheduled for release on Sunday do not include Hamas or Islamic Jihad members, and none of the prisoners to be released were directly involved in any attacks that resulted in death or injury. 400 of the prisoners on the list have served two-thirds of their sentences. Most belong to Fatah. They were held for offenses as minor as stone-throwing or as serious as attempts to kill Israelis.
Exactly two months ago, the Israel transferred 477 prisoners to Egypt and the West Bank during the first stage in the Israel-Hamas prisoner exchange. |