By NNN-KUNA
Gaza : The Israeli government has approved a decision to release 450 Palestinian detainees in a move announced just before the US-sponsored Middle East peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland, next week.
According to the Israeli radio Monday, all Palestinian prisoners who will be released are members of the Palestinian Fatah movement led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
A statement from the Israeli Prime Minister’s Bureau office said none of those freed there will be Hamas or Islamic Jihad militants, or those who have been involved in the killing of Israelis.
Sixteen Palestinian prisoners who will be released are residents of the Gaza Strip, the Israeli radio added.
There are currently 11,000 Palestinian prisoners held in 30 Israeli prisons, among them Palestinians who spent long years in captivity.