Israel is releasing 1,027 Palestinians in exchange for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, in a two-stage operation.
Here are details of some of the most prominent prisoners being freed in the first stage:
Nael Barghuti: From Kobar village near Ramallah, he was arrested in April 1978 and convicted of involvement in the death of an Israeli soldier. He is listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the world's longest-serving political prisoner.
Yehia al-Sinwar: A senior Hamas leader who co-founded the movement's Al-Majd security services in the 1980s, and was serving four life sentences, partly for his role in the 1994 kidnap and death of Israeli soldier Nahshon Wachsman. His brother Mohammed al-Sinwar was reportedly involved in Shalit's abduction. He will return to his home in Gaza.
Rawhi al-Mushtaha: A senior Hamas leader who co-founded Al-Majd with Sinwar and is considered one of the most important Hamas figures in the prisoner exchange. He received four life sentences and is to be released to his home in Gaza.
Jihad Yaghmur: Another leading Hamas official, convicted of involvement in Wachsman's kidnap and murder. An east Jerusalem resident, he is to be exiled overseas.
Mohammed al-Sharataha: A member of Hamas's armed wing and reported partner of Mahmud al-Mabhuh, the Hamas commander assassinated in a Dubai hotel in 2010. Sharataha was convicted of heading a cell that kidnapped and killed two Israeli soldiers in 1989. He received three life sentences and is to be released to his home in Gaza.
Walid Anjas: Sentenced to 36 life sentences for involvement in the 2002 attack on Moment Cafe in Jerusalem, which killed 11 Israelis. He will be exiled overseas.
Nasr Yateyma: Convicted of planning the 2002 Park Hotel bombing which targeted a Passover meal, killing 29 Israelis. He was accused of transferring the explosive belt used in the attack and sentenced to 29 life sentences. He will be exiled abroad.
Chris al-Bandak: A Christian member of the military wing of Fatah, he was sentenced to four life sentences for shooting attacks that killed several Israelis in 2002. He will be exiled to the Gaza Strip.
Abdul Aziz Salha: Convicted of participating in the lynching of two Israeli soldiers who mistakenly drove into Ramallah in October 2000. Salha was infamously photographed displaying his bloody hands to a crowd, and was sentenced to life behind bars. He will be released to Gaza.
Ahlam Tamimi: Sentenced to 16 life sentences for driving the bomber who attacked a Sbarro pizzeria in Jerusalem in 2001, killing 15 people. A Jordanian national who was 21 when she was arrested, Tamimi will be returned to her native Jordan.
Amna Muna: Serving a life sentence for luring an Israeli teenager to his death via an Internet chatroom in 2001 while she was a student. Originally from east Jerusalem, she will be exiled to Gaza.
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