Palestinian prisoners have been left in limbo following their release from Israeli captivity [Getty]
Seventy Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli captivity as part of the Gaza hostage exchange agreement are stranded in a hotel in Cairo, with the countries that had previously committed to taking them in not yet formally accepting them.
“To date, no Arab country has agreed to receive even a single released and expelled Palestinian prisoner,” a source from the Palestinian Prisoner Authority told Ynet.
The ex-prisoners are not allowed to leave their hotel, describing their situation as moving “from an Israeli prison to an Egyptian prison”, as reported by i24 News. The source reports that conditions for the prisoners have been poor and that “the Egyptians do not treat them warmly.”
Along with those stuck in Egypt, 23 other prisoners who were supposed to be resettled abroad are trapped in Gaza. Among the countries mentioned as potential destinations are Algeria, Turkey, Tunisia, and Qatar.
In a joint statement, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed al-Thani and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan confirmed their agreement to host some of the released prisoners, though they did not specify how many.
Al-Thani stressed that hosting the Palestinian prisoners “must be based on their own decision”, while Fidan remarked: “We have agreed to accommodate a certain number of Palestinian prisoners expelled abroad.”
However, on Tuesday, it was reported that 15 Palestinian prisoners held in Egypt had been successfully transported to Istanbul to be relocated under the agreement.
Palestinian sources revealed to Arabic news outlet Arabi21 that four countries have prepared to receive Palestinian prisoners deported outside Palestine, as part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement.
The sources said that Turkey, Malaysia and Pakistan are prepared to receive a number of deported prisoners, 15 prisoners from each country, while Egypt will host prisoners affiliated with the Fatah movement.
Hamas said on Monday that Pakistan has agreed to host 15 of the Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli custody under a recent ceasefire agreement. However, Pakistan’s Interior Ministry on Tuesday denied any knowledge of such an arrangement, with the Palestinian Foreign Ministry yet to issue a response.
