Malaysia will reportedly be one of four countries that will be hosting Palestinian prisoners recently released by Israel as part of the ceasefire deal, as announced by a Palestinian official on 3 February.
Specifically, Malaysia, Turkiye, Qatar, and Pakistan will each host 15 Palestinian prisoners, as the ceasefire deal agreed that the 60 individuals wouldn’t be released to the Gaza Strip or the West Bank.
15 Palestinian prisoners released by Israel will be deported to Malaysia
According to the official state news agency of the People’s Republic of China, Xinhua News Agency, head of the Palestinian Prisoners Club, Abdullah Zaghari, asserted that the 60 prisoners are currently in Egypt, pending deportation to the four countries.
He added that there are currently 70 Palestinian prisoners staying in a hotel in the New Administrative Capital of Egypt, and discussions are still ongoing with other countries to secure hosting for the remaining prisoners.
Moreover, talks are on the way with Cairo to accommodate others who may be released by Israel in future batches.
Israel demanded that the prisoners wouldn’t be released to the Gaza Strip or the West Bank
Previously, 18 hostages were released by Hamas in exchange for Israel releasing hundreds of Palestinians from its prisons as part of the ceasefire deal that took effect on 19 January.
Local Israeli media reported that Israel demanded that Palestinians “convicted of the most serious crimes” would not be released to the Gaza Strip or the West Bank. These individuals are currently in Egypt as the country agreed to temporarily host them.
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As of the time of writing, the Malaysian Government has yet to release any statements regarding the hosting of the 15 Palestinian prisoners released by Israel.
