Names of 26 captives to be released announced

26 Palestinian captives who have been imprisoned by Israel since before the first Oslo Agreement of 1994 will be released on Tuesday.

Those detainees spent between 19 -28 years in Israel prisons, five of them are from Gaza.

The announcement came after the Legislative Committee of the Knesset turned down a proposed bill filed by Israeli Member of Knesset, Orit Strock, demanding a legislation that would prevent the release of Palestinian political prisoners.

Israeli media sources have reported that eight ministers, including four of the Likud Party of Benjamin Netanyahu, voted against the proposed bill, while only ministers of the Jewish Home and Israel Our Home fundamentalist parties voted for it.

Nine of the 26 detainees were taken prisoner between the years 1984 and 1986. The rest were taken prisoner in the period between 1990 and 1994.

23 of them have been sentenced to more than 99 years, while the remaining three are serving terms that range between 28 and 38 years.

21 captives are from the West Bank and five are from Gaza. The list of them was posted Sunday night on the Prison Service's website. They are:

1. Mohamed Ibrahim Nasr, arrested in May 1985

2.Rafi Farhoud Karajeh, arrested in May 1985

3. Mohamed Ahmed al- Sabbagh, arrested in January 1991

4. Hazem Kassem Shbair, arrested in March 1994

5. Ahmed said al-Damuni, arrested in September 1990

6. Yusef Awwad Masalha, arrested in May 1993

7. Sharif Hasan Abu Dhailah, arrested in May 1992

8. Mustafa Amer Ghnaimat, arrested in July 1985

9. Rizek Ali Salah, arrested in June 1993

10. Afu Musbah Shkair, arrested in July 1986

11. Muayad Salim Hijja, arrested in May 1992

12. Najeh Mohamed Muqbel, arrested in July 1990

13. Hilmi Hamad al-Amawi, arrested in January 1994

14. Issa Nimer Abed Rabbo, arrested in October 1984

15. Haza’a Mohamed Sa’di, arrested in July 1985

16. Najeh Mohamed Muqbel, arrested in July 1990

17. Abdel Rahman Yusef al- Haj, arrested in February 1992

18. Osama Zakariya Abu Hanani, arrested in October 1992

19. Mohamed Yusef Turkeman, arrested in October 1992

20. Ahmed Said Abdel Aziz, arrested in February 1993

21. Mohamed Musbah Ashour, arrested in February 1986

22. Omar Issa Masoud, arrested in May 1993

23. Khaled Daoud Azraq, arrested in February 1991

24. Othman Abdallah Bani Hasan, arrested in July 1985

25. Israr Mustafa Samarin, arrested in August 1992

26. Musa Izzat Kura’n, arrested in August 1992