RAMALLAH, December 17, 2011 (WAFA) – Stage two of the prisoners release is expected to take place on Sunday, according to Palestinian officials.

They said Israel is supposed to release 550 prisoners as part of the swap deal reached in October when 477 prisoners were released in the first stage.

The prisoners to be released include 300 from Fatah but none from Hamas, the group that was behind the swap agreement. They also include only 43 from the Gaza Strip, who will be released to Gaza while the rest will be released to Ramallah from Ofer military camp in Beitunia.

Palestinian researchers on prisoners said the majority of those to be released have almost completed their sentence or have only few months before they were supposed to be freed.

Many have been arrested in the last two years and most of the sentences were less than five years. None is serving life term and the highest sentence among the prisoners to be released was 18 years.

In addition, only six female prisoners will be released leaving behind five, including three from inside Israel.

Two of the prisoners are Jordanian and two are from East Jerusalem, including Salah Hamouri, who is a French national sentenced in 2005 to seven years in prison after he was convicted of being a members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and plotting to assassinate Israeli Rabbi Ovadi Yousef. Hamouri’s sentence was going to end in April.

M.S.