Two hundred terrorists were released Saturday from Israeli prisons in exchange for the four female IDF soldiers who were freed from Gaza captivity.
Israel agreed as part of the deal to release 50 terrorists for each IDF soldier freed from Hamas.
Of the 200 released prisoners, 120 were serving life sentences for murder. Some of the killers were deported to Egypt – but not all.
Many returned to Gaza, Judea and Samaria. Some even returned to Jerusalem.
However, two of the prisoners on the list initially refused to board the bus that was supposed to take them to Gaza.
One was eventually persuaded to go — but the other adamantly refused to leave Keziot Prison and eventually was replaced by another prisoner.
The determined prisoner preferred to remain incarcerated in Israel, rather than return to Gaza.
No details were released about the identity of the prisoner who refused to be released.
A joint multi-agency operations center was established in the IDF Central Command to oversee and managing the process of releasing the terrorists in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem. Included in the process are representatives from the IDF, Shin Bet (ISA), Israel Police, Israel Prison Service, and other security agencies.
“The center is operating to coordinate the release of prisoners while conducting various defensive and offensive activities,” the IDF said.
This week, the IDF Central Command completed an exercise of command centers to enhance operational readiness in the arena, simulating various scenarios to improve readiness in the Judea and Samaria region and along the eastern border.
Situational assessments were also conducted in the operations center this past week, involving the Commanding Officer of Central Command Commander, MG Avi Bluth, the Police District Commander of Judea and Samaria, Deputy Commissioner Niso Guetta and the Central District Operations Officer of the Israel Prison Service, Maya Angel.
“IDF troops in the area are prepared for an additional phase of prisoner releases and will continue to act decisively against terrorist organizations to ensure the security of the residents of the State of Israel,” the IDF added.
