Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas asked Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz to release 25 prisoners who have been detained since Oslo Accords in 1993, according to Palestinian sources.
The Ynet website said that Abbas passed a request to Gantz during their second meeting about a month ago.
Two sources familiar with the discussions said that Abbas presented the request for a gesture of goodwill to boost support to the Palestinian Authority (PA).
The sources stated that the 25 prisoners on the list are Fatah members who have been detained since before the signing of the Oslo Accords and several others who suffer from health issues.
Gantz did not give a firm answer and told Abbas that he would look into the matter.
Israel kept the request secret while it published other details about security and civil talks held between Abbas and Gantz.
Gantz's office refused to comment on the report.
Member of the Fatah Central Committee, and Civil Affairs Minister, Hussein al-Sheikh stressed that releasing the prisoners is a top priority, be it the prisoners detained before the Oslo Accords, political leaders, the elderly, children, the sick, and women.
Sheikh stressed that the issue of prisoners is a constant demand in all dialogues and at all levels.
Palestinian sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Abbas had discussed this issue more than once with US mediators and administrations during the past years.
They explained that Israel is obliged to release this batch of prisoners following a previous Israeli-US-Palestinian agreement, which should have been done in 2014.
However, the Israeli government canceled the agreement and placed other demands in return.
The last time Israel released Palestinian prisoners as a goodwill gesture to the PA was in 2013, during former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's term.
Israel released 74 prisoners in three batches. Netanyahu later canceled the fourth batch, which was set for March 2014.
Palestinians waited for the release of 30 prisoners, according to the tripartite agreement, but Israel said it would not carry on without an additional extension of the negotiations.
Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said that Abbas assured Gantz of the importance of strengthening Fatah's standing among the Palestinian public through this gesture.
However, according to various sources, it is unlikely that the current Israeli Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, would agree to release prisoners, even if they are elderly Fatah members, who were tried before the political agreements between the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel.
The Palestinians understand that Gantz alone will not be able to release the prisoners without the approval of Bennett, who has so far refused to push any political initiatives forward.
