Some of the Palestinian prisoners released as part of a deal to hand over captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit will be taken in by Turkey, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported Tuesday.
The agency quoted diplomats as saying that Turkey would host some of the released prisoners along with Qatar and Egypt.
Turkey considers the deal between Israel and Hamas as a contribution to peace in the region and will play its part by taking in released Palestinian prisoners, Anatolia said.
The Turkish news channel NTV said 10 of the prisoners would arrive in Istanbul by plane from Egypt, but gave no further details.
A high-ranking official from Hamas met with Turkish officials in Ankara on Monday to discuss details of the transfer of Palestinian prisoners to Turkey, Anatolia reported, quoting diplomats.
Turkey plans to send a plane to Egypt to pick up the detainees, Anatolia added.
A group of 40 Palestinian detainees will be sent to Turkey, Syria and Qatar, Hamas said Monday.
Israel began releasing 1,027 prisoners in two stages Tuesday in exchange for the handover of soldier Shalit, who was snatched by Gaza militants in June 2006.
Shalit has arrived back in Israel, chief army spokesman Brigadier General Yoav Mordechai announced.
Turkey has welcomed the swap deal.
"The agreement that has been concluded is a good agreement," Turkish Foreign Miniser Ahmet Davutoglu said last week.
"It is a positive development that will lower pressure" in the Middle East, he added. Turkey had in the past had direct and indirect contact with both Israel and Hamas in a bid to free Shalit, said Davutoglu.
Israel and Western countries consider Hamas as a terrorist organization while Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has rejected the "terrorist" label, defending the group as "resistance fighters who are struggling to defend their land."
Anatolia reported in July that the father of Shalit asked Erdogan a year ago to step in as a mediator between Israel and Hamas for his son's release.
Once-flourishing Turkish-Israeli ties plunged into a deep crisis last year when Israeli forces killed nine Turks in a raid on a Turkish ferry, part of an activist flotilla carrying aid to Gaza.
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