8 Palestinians freed by Israel to be deported: Egyptian media

CAIRO, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing received on Saturday eight Palestinian prisoners set for deportation after being released by Israel as part of the ongoing ceasefire deal with Hamas, Egypt's Al-Qahera News TV channel reported.

An Egyptian source, who required anonymity, told Xinhua that the released Palestinians, convicted of murder by Israel, will be deported to Türkiye, Qatar, Algeria, and Tunisia, after being transferred to Cairo.

The source explained that Egypt would serve as a transit point for these released Palestinian prisoners until their departure to other countries. The decision on their destinations is coordinated with Israel, which required the deportation of Palestinian murder convicts.

According to a report by the Times of Israel on Wednesday, Israel demanded that Palestinians convicted of the most serious crimes not be released to the Gaza Strip or the West Bank. Egypt agreed to temporarily host these individuals, including 70 prisoners released last week, who are now in Cairo.

Egyptian authorities are ramping up preparations to receive more prisoners at the Rafah crossing, the source added. Earlier in the day, 50 patients from Gaza crossed into Egypt through Rafah, the only link between the Palestinian enclave and Egypt. ■