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LONDON: Israeli forces conducted raids on several homes of Palestinian prisoners who are expected to be released as part of the captive exchange deal between Israel and Hamas early on Sunday.

Israeli soldiers entered the homes of prisoners due for release, tampered with their belongings, and issued threats to family members, warning them against holding any celebrations, according to the Wafa news agency.

Homes in Nablus, the Balata and Askar Al-Jadid refugee camps, as well as the towns of Salem to the east, Aqraba, and Zeita Jamma’in to the south, were raided. Similar raids were conducted in Hebron and the nearby Deir Samet, where one prisoner from the village is scheduled to be released on Monday, the Wafa added.

Nearly 1,950 Palestinian prisoners and detainees from the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip are set to be freed on Monday in an exchange deal for 48 Israeli captives, 20 of whom are alive.

Late Thursday, the Israeli government approved a ceasefire in Gaza proposed by US President Donald Trump. The deal includes a prisoner and captive swap, an end to hostilities in the Gaza Strip, a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory, and the entry of humanitarian aid.

DOHA: A Hamas source close to the group’s negotiating committee told AFP on Sunday that it will not participate in post-war Gaza governance, as world leaders prepare to converge on Egypt for a Gaza peace summit.
The source’s comments come days after an Israel-Hamas ceasefire came into effect, and as both sides discuss implementing US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan to end the war, which calls for Hamas’ disarmament and for the group not to be involved in running post-war Gaza.
“For Hamas, the governance of the Gaza Strip is a closed issue. Hamas will not participate at all in the transitional phase, which means it has relinquished control of the Strip, but it remains a fundamental part of the Palestinian fabric,” the source told AFP, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
Unlike other more top-heavy militant organizations in the region, Hamas’ leadership has in the past been divided on key issues, including on the future administration of Gaza.
But where there appears to be no division among top members is on the question of disarmament, which the group has long described as a red line.
“Hamas agrees to a long-term truce, and for its weapons not to be used at all during this period, except in the event of an Israeli attack on Gaza,” the source said.
Another Hamas official who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive topics had earlier told AFP that Hamas’ disarmament was “out of the question.”
The first clause of Trump’s 20-point plan calls for Gaza to become a “deradicalized terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbors.”
The plan also states Hamas will not have a role in future governance of the Strip, and that its military infrastructure and weapons should be “destroyed and not rebuilt.”
Under Trump’s plan, a temporary technocratic and apolitical Palestinian committee would be charged with the day-to-day running of public services.
The source close to the negotiators said they had asked for mediator Egypt to call a meeting before the end of next week to agree on the composition of this committee, adding that “the names are almost ready.”
“Hamas, along with the other factions, have submitted 40 names. There is absolutely no veto over them, and none of them belong to Hamas,” he added.