Israel's prime minister has received cabinet approval to release 441 Palestinian prisoners ahead of next week's Mideast peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland. Mr. Olmert told his cabinet he plans to remove unauthorized settlements in the West Bank. As VOA's Jim Teeple reports from Jerusalem, Palestinians have criticized the prisoner release as inadequate.

Israel is to release more than 400 Palestinian prisoners in a goodwill gesture before an upcoming U.S.-sponsored peace conference, Prime minister Ehud Olmert said on Monday.

Israel has sent 29 Palestinian prisoners home to the Gaza Strip, touching off celebrations interrupted by Israeli gunfire at a crowd that surged towards a border crossing to greet the men.

Israeli officials say they have released 57 Palestinian prisoners to the West Bank after a delay of several hours. About 30 other prisoners who were scheduled to be released in the Gaza Strip remain at a desert prison.

Israel says it plans to release 87 Palestinian prisoners on Monday in a move aimed at bolstering Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in his power struggle with the militant group Hamas.

Israel will release more Palestinian prisoners this week in a bid to advance the peace process. Israel agreed to free another 90 Palestinian prisoners to try to bolster President Mahmoud Abbas ahead of a US-sponsored conference on Palestinian statehood, officials said.

Capturing Israeli soldiers is the only way to free jailed Palestinians, a Gaza-based leader of the Islamist group Hamas said Wednesday.

Israel released early Friday over 250 Palestinian prisoners, in line with a previous commitment to support Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in his power struggle with radical Islamist group Hamas, local radio said.

The Israeli Cabinet approved Tuesday a list of Palestinian prisoners due to be released by the weekend in a bid to strengthen the position of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in his standoff with Islamist extremists.

Talks on the release of Palestinians currently being held in Israeli prisons, which have been brokered by Egypt, are close to completion, an Egyptian newspaper said Thursday.

A human rights report is accusing Israel of using torture on Palestinian security prisoners. But as Robert Berger reports from VOA's Jerusalem bureau, the Israeli government describes the allegations as exaggerated and baseless.