Murderers, kidnappers, terrorists: the Palestinian prisoners set for freedom
Israel has freed the first 90 Palestinian prisoners as members of Hamas’s military brigades and others arrested for crimes ranging from murder to terrorism wait to be released.
More than 230 Palestinian prisoners, sentenced to life imprisonment for attacks that killed Israelis, are to be exiled following their release as part of a prisoner swap under the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
Ninety prisoners were released on Monday (AEDT), all of them women and underage men, hours after three Israeli hostages were handed over by their Hamas captors.
The prisoners had been detained for what Israel called offences related to its security, from throwing stones to more serious accusations such as attempted murder.
The most prominent detainee freed was Khalida Jarrar, 62, a member of a secular leftist faction that was involved in attacks against Israel in the 1970s but later scaled back militant activities. Since her arrest in late 2023, she was held under indefinitely renewable administrative detention orders that were criticised by human rights groups.
Israel has published a list of 734 prisoners, out of a total of 737 it said would be released during the first phase of the ceasefire deal which commenced on Sunday.
The 230 set to be exiled will be sent to Qatar and Egypt on their release.
According to the list, more than 230 prisoners, all serving life sentences for conducting or participating in deadly attacks against Israelis, are to be permanently exiled.
More than 1,000 other Palestinians taken into Israeli custody since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack that triggered the war are also due to be released during the initial 42-day truce.
According to Israeli media, the more prominent prisoners to be freed include:
– Nail al-Bergusi, known as a leader of the Palestinian prisoners, imprisoned for over 45 years.
– Osman Bilal, a commander of Hamas’ military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, imprisoned for over 31 years.
– Bilal Ganem, accused of carrying out a 2015 armed attack in Jerusalem that caused 22 Israeli casualties.
– Abdunnasr Isa, a Hamas leader imprisoned for more than 30 years.
– Zekeriya Zubaydi, a leader of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades.
– Khalida Jarrar, a former member of the Palestinian Legislative Council and senior figure in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
Hundreds of people cheered, chanted and honked car horns as two buses carrying the prisoners arrived in the occupied West Bank town of Beitunia early on Monday, AFP journalists reported.
Members of the crowd climbed atop the lead bus and unfurled a Hamas flag, the journalists reported.
They were joined by others waving the flags of Fatah, Islamic Jihad and several other Palestinian factions, as well as the Palestinian national flag.
Inside the bus, a handful of freed female prisoners could be seen smiling and flashing V-signs while a Red Cross staff member watched on.
Earlier the Israel Prison Service confirmed in a statement that it had completed the first release of prisoners as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal.
“All the terrorists were released from Ofer prison and the Jerusalem detention centre”, the service said, referring to the Palestinian prisoners, in a statement issued just before 1.30am local time (10am AEDT).
The agreement was negotiated with the mediation of Qatar, Egypt and the United States, aiming to end more than 15 months of war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas.
Two Hamas sources involved in the negotiations stated that Israel agreed to release 296 Palestinians sentenced to life imprisonment during the first phase of the agreement, 236 of whom are to be deported immediately after their release, mainly to Qatar or Turkey.
The first phase of the agreement involves the release of a total of about 1,900 Palestinians in exchange for 33 Israeli hostages held in Gaza.
The truce is expected to allow for a surge in humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and lay the groundwork for a permanent ceasefire and the release of all remaining Israeli and foreign hostages, totalling 91, still held in Gaza.
The Israeli military says that 34 of the remaining hostages in Gaza are confirmed dead.
Three hostages, all women, were released earlier on Sunday as part of the deal.
AFP, AP
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