Hostage-Ceasefire Deal Yields Controversial Release of 183 Palestinian Prisoners
Israel on Saturday released 183 Palestinian prisoners following the return of three hostages from Hamas captivity, including detainees serving life sentences for terrorism as well as those arrested prior to the Hamas invasion and slaughter in Israel on October 7, 2023. According to the Palestinian Authority’s Commission of Detainees’ Affairs, the group of released prisoners comprises 111 individuals captured by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip during the conflict, while the remaining 72 were detained before the October 7 attack—42 from the West Bank, 3 from east Jerusalem, and 27 from Gaza.
Among those freed were some of the most notorious figures in the Israeli security establishment’s eyes. Notably, Iyad Abu Shkeidem, a 49-year-old Hebron resident and key figure at the helm of Hamas’ Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades in the southern West Bank, was released despite having received 18 life sentences for his central role in planning a 2004 suicide bombing in Beersheba that killed 16 Israelis and injured over 100 others.
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Other prominent prisoners included Hatem al-Jayousi, a 52-year-old Tulkarem resident who founded the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades and was serving six life sentences for his involvement in murders during the Second Intifada. Also freed was Shadi Barghouti, 47, who was arrested in 2004 and sentenced to 27 years for his involvement in terror attacks against Israelis. He is the son of Fakhri Barghouti, a convicted terrorist released in the 2011 Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange.
Senior Hamas official Jamal Taweel, 61, formerly the mayor of Al-Bireh and a pivotal figure in reviving Hamas operations in the West Bank, was also among those released. The IDF noted that Taweel had been arrested in 2021 for his active role in organizing disturbances, inciting violence, and re-establishing Hamas headquarters in Ramallah.
In addition to these high-profile figures, the Palestinian Red Crescent reported that six of the 42 released West Bank prisoners were in poor health and required hospital care. Two prisoners freed to Jerusalem, Issam and Mohammad Attoun, both 20 years old, had been detained for throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at a public safety facility in the Sur Baher neighborhood. They were reunited with their parents at the Russian Compound detention center, where the family had been summoned for police questioning ahead of the release. A third Jerusalem detainee, 58-year-old Ahmad al-Jaafari, is slated for deportation, one of seven prisoners being deported for their leadership roles or technical expertise in weapon-making.
