Israel has prevented dozens of relatives of Palestinian prisoners held in its jails, who are expected to be deported abroad on Monday, according to a deal with Hamas.

Abdullah Al-Zaghari, head of the Palestinian Prisoners Club (a non-governmental organization), told Anadolu Agency that families of some prisoners scheduled for deportation tried to travel today (Sunday) via the Al-Karameh Bridge (known as Allenby Bridge in Israel) to Jordan, then to the countries where their relatives will be deported, “but the occupation authorities returned dozens of them and prevented them from traveling.”

Al-Zaghari added that “the travel attempt came after several prisoners contacted their families and informed them of the decision to release them on Monday and deport them to Gaza and Egypt.”

He considered the Israeli measure as “part of the ongoing targeting policy by the occupation system against prisoners’ families.”

Al-Zaghari explained that “a large part of the families of prisoners released in previous deals were unable to leave due to travel bans.”

He continued that these sanctions “put great pressure on families, especially since some deportees’ families have not been able to visit them for about two years, including prisoners who have spent 25 years in captivity or those with long sentences and life imprisonment.”

According to the list published by the Israeli Ministry of Justice, 250 prisoners will be released on Monday, including 142 detainees who will be deported to Gaza, then to Egypt, Qatar, or Turkey.

On Friday, the Israeli Ministry of Justice published the names of 250 Palestinian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment, expected to be released under the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

Meanwhile, the “Prisoners Media Office” affiliated with Hamas said in a statement posted hours ago on its Telegram account that “complex obstacles still prevent the official announcement of the lists of released prisoners within the exchange deal, including Gaza prisoners, women, and children.”

It confirmed that “efforts are ongoing around the clock to overcome these obstacles and complete the required procedures.”

The office said that “names and all details related to the deal will be announced once negotiations conclude and the final lists are approved down to the last name.”

On Thursday, US President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had reached an agreement on the first phase of his ceasefire and prisoner exchange plan, following four days of indirect negotiations between the two parties in the city of Sharm El-Sheikh, with the participation of Turkey, Egypt, and Qatar, under US supervision.

According to the agreement, Israel will release 250 Palestinian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment, in addition to about 1,700 others arrested by Tel Aviv from the Gaza Strip after October 7, 2023.