Israel prepares to free 550 Palestinian prisoners

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Israel was on Sunday preparing to release 550 Palestinian prisoners who will be freed after nightfall to complete a swap deal which brought about the release of captive soldier Gilad Shalit.

The release operation was expected to take place late in the evening, when the prisoners would be bussed to drop-off points near the West Bank city of Ramallah and along the Gaza border.

Among the prisoners earmarked for release is Salah Hamuri, a French-Palestinian who was convicted of plotting to assassinate a Jewish religious leader and had been due to complete his seven-year sentence in March. There are also six women.

Unlike in the first stage of the deal, which saw the release in October of 477 Palestinians including hundreds serving life for killing Israelis, Sunday's operation will not include anyone "with blood on their hands," officials on both sides said.

The Israel Prisons Service said 40 of those to be freed would be returned to their homes in Gaza, two to Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, two to Jordan and the remainder to the occupied West Bank.

The vast majority of prisoners were expected to be turned loose from Ofer prison near Ramallah at 10 pm (2000 GMT), while the Gaza residents would be freed at the same time at the Kerem Shalom border crossing.

The list of names was published on Wednesday, and an appeal to delay the deal lodged by Israeli victims of Palestinian attacks was rejected by the Supreme Court on Friday, clearing the way for the operation to go ahead.

The names of the prisoners to be released were selected by Israel, and none of them belong to Hamas or Islamic Jihad. Israeli officials said priority had been given to members of the secular Fatah movement of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.

Under the landmark swap deal agreed with Gaza's Hamas rulers in October, Israel agreed to free 1,027 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Shalit, who had been held in Hamas captivity in Gaza for more than five years.

It was the first time in 26 years that a captured soldier has been returned to Israel alive.