Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas vowed on Monday to pursue his efforts to secure the release of more Palestinians from Israeli prison.
"We won't have comfort until they are all released," Abbas said in reference to the prisoners
He said that more prisoners would be freed from Israeli prison 'very soon."
Abbas's remarks came shortly after Israel announced that it would release 26 Palestinian prisoners on Tuesday.
Issa Qarai, PA Minister for Prisoners Affairs, said that the 26 inmates would be released around midnight.
He said that 21 of them would return to their homes in the West Bank, while the remaining five would be transferred to the Gaza Strip to be rejoined with their families.
Qaraqi said that the released prisoners would be moved from Ofer Prison to the PA presidential compound in Ramallah, where Abbas and senior Palestinian officials are expected to greet them.
Qaraqi called on the families and friends of the released prisoners to arrive at the compound to participate in a reception ceremony for their sons.
He said that Israel was not planning to deport any of the West Bank residents to the Gaza Strip.
According to Qaraqi, the agreement to release more than 100 prisoners was not related to the peace talks between the PA and Israel.