JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel’s Prison Service has released a list of 550 Palestinian prisoners to be released in phase two of the Gilad Shalit prisoner swap deal.
The list was posted on the service’s website Wednesday evening. The public has 48 hours to petition Israel’s Supreme Court against the release of individual prisoners.
The handover is scheduled for the evening of Dec. 18. The prisoners will be notified on Thursday morning that they are part of the swap, according to a statement from the Prison Service.
The Ministry of Justice opened an information center Wednesday to provide specific information on each prisoner.
Some 1,027 prisoners in total will go free in exchange for Shalit, who was captured in a cross-border raid in June 2006 and released this October.
Most of the prisoners on the list were due to be released within the next year; they are classified as security prisoners. They are set to be returned to their homes in the West Bank and Gaza, according to the list.
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