Israel ? Israel today began releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in a gesture meant to strengthen moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas after the two sides’ recent agreement to try to reach a peace deal.

At the Ketziot Prison Camp in the southern Negev Desert, dozens of prisoners lined up at dawn in a courtyard. Wardens and security agents sitting at tables checked names against a list, clamped handcuffs on the prisoners and put them on waiting buses that began setting off for crossings into the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The Israeli prison service said 408 Palestinians would be sent to the West Bank and 21 to Gaza.

Israel is holding about 9,000 Palestinian prisoners. Their release is a central Palestinian demand. Israel’s move was aimed at shoring up Abbas in his struggle against the Hamas militant movement, which wrested control of the Gaza Strip in June.