Israel-Hamas Ceasefire and Prisoner Exchange: Key Figures Named in Controversial Release List
Israel and Hamas have reached the first phase of a ceasefire and hostage-exchange agreement, brokered by the United States with Qatar and Egypt acting as mediators. The deal aims to bring home all remaining hostages held in Gaza while requiring Israel to release 1,950 Palestinian prisoners: 250 serving life sentences and 1,700 Gazans who have been detained.
Under the terms, Hamas will release all living hostages immediately, while the bodies of those killed will be transferred later. Although the agreement has been hailed as a humanitarian breakthrough, it comes at a steep cost for Israel, which will see the return of prisoners involved in some of the country’s deadliest terror attacks over the past two decades. The following are among the individuals whom Israeli sources indicate are slated for release or deportation.
Imad Qawasmeh
A senior Hamas operative in Hebron, Imad Qawasmeh was arrested by Israeli forces on October 13, 2004, for orchestrating two suicide bombings in Beersheba that killed 16 Israelis, including children. An Israeli military court sentenced him to 16 life terms for membership in a terrorist organization, trafficking military equipment, and attempted murder. Qawasmeh is set to be deported after his release.
Ismail Hamdan
Affiliated with Fatah, Ismail Hamdan was convicted for the 2002 kidnapping and murder of Avi Boaz Braverman. Hamdan and accomplices abducted Braverman at the Beit Jala checkpoint and shot him in Beit Sahour. He was found guilty of murder and weapons charges and will be deported upon release.
Jihad Roum
A member of the Tanzim faction, Jihad Roum was arrested in 2002 for the murder of Israeli civilian Yuri Goshtsin, whose body was found near Ramallah bearing signs of torture. Roum was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment plus 20 years.
Amin Shuqeirat
Affiliated with Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Amin Shuqeirat was arrested in 2005 for the murder of two Israeli security guards at a construction site. Convicted of murder and firearms offenses, he received two life sentences and will be deported after release.
Bilal Ajarmeh
A Fatah operative, Bilal Ajarmeh was detained in Silwad in 2003 and convicted of killing Israelis, executing alleged collaborators, and conducting 17 shooting attacks along Route 60. Initially sentenced to 12 years, his punishment was later increased to two life terms plus 20 years. He will be deported.
Mahmoud Issa
A Hamas commander and founder of the Al Qassam Brigades’ “Special Unit 101,” Mahmoud Issa masterminded the 1992 kidnapping and murder of Sergeant Nissim Toledano. He was sentenced to three life terms plus 40 years and is scheduled for deportation.
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Mohammad Abu Tbeikh
A member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Mohammad Abu Tbeikh led operations in Jenin and participated in the 2002 Battle of Jenin. Arrested that year, he was sentenced to two life terms and 15 additional years for manufacturing explosives. He will be deported.
Baher Badr
Hamas operative Baher Badr, arrested with his brother Bahij in 2004, was implicated in the 2003 Tzrifin bombing that killed nine Israeli soldiers. Sentenced to 11 life terms, he will be deported upon release.
Iyad Abu al Rub
Head of Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s Saraya al-Quds wing in Jenin, Iyad Abu al Rub was convicted for multiple suicide bombings between 2003 and 2005, including attacks in Sde Trumot, Tel Aviv, and Hadera. He will be deported.
Riyad al Ammour
A Fatah Tanzim member and associate of Marwan Barghouti, Riyad al Ammour was sentenced in 2003 to 11 life terms for orchestrating a series of Bethlehem-area terror attacks during the Second Intifada that killed nine Israelis. He also murdered three alleged collaborators. He is slated for deportation.
Murad Abdallah Adais
A Hamas terrorist born in 2000, Murad Abdallah Adais murdered Dafna Meir, a mother of six, in her Otniel home in 2016, stabbing her repeatedly in front of her children. He is serving a life sentence.
Ibrahim Alikam
Convicted of the 1996 murder of Ita Tsur and her 12-year-old son Ephraim near Ramallah, Ibrahim Alikam was previously released and later re-arrested after returning to terror activity.
Anas Alan
In 2006, Anas Alan drove the suicide bomber who carried out the Kedumim Junction attack, killing Rafi and Helena Halevy. Alan activated the bomber and was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Yosef Zahur and Qassem Asafra
These two terrorists murdered Israeli student Dvir Sorek in a 2019 stabbing attack near Migdal Oz. Zahur received a life sentence; Asafra was sentenced to life plus 40 years.
Ahmad Konba
Driver in the 2018 Havat Gilad shooting that killed Rabbi Raziel Shevach, Ahmad Konba was sentenced to life imprisonment plus 26 years.
Muhammad Aref Samaha
A Hamas operative, Muhammad Aref Samaha dispatched several suicide bombers, including those responsible for the Bus No. 2 attack that killed 23 Israelis and wounded 130. He remains imprisoned for multiple murders.
Muhammad Kharousha
Together with his father, Muhammad Kharousha planned the shooting attack that killed brothers Hillel and Yagel Yaniv in Samaria.
Mahmoud Qawasmeh
Mahmoud Qawasmeh financed and planned the 2014 kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers—Gilad Shaer, Naftali Fraenkel, and Eyal Yifrach. Previously released in the 2011 Shalit deal and deported to Gaza, he was rearrested at Shifa Hospital in March 2024 for renewed terrorist activity.
Hilmi Abdul Karim Muhammad Hammash
Hammash was convicted of bombing Bus 19 in Jerusalem in 2004, killing 11 Israelis. He remains imprisoned under a life sentence.
Ahmad Ismail Ahmad Qawassmeh
A Hamas operative born in 1990, Ahmad Qawassmeh murdered Rabbi Shaya Ben David near Hebron in January 2018. He is serving a life sentence.
Mohammad Ziad Ahmad Abu Arefah
Born in 1998, this Hamas terrorist murdered an Israeli farmer in Qasra in October 2017 and is serving life imprisonment.
Mohammad Nasser Sha’aban Abu Rabea
Born in 1994, Mohammad Abu Rabea carried out a stabbing at Gush Etzion Junction in 2015, killing two Israelis. He is serving a life term.
Omar Ahmad Ayoub Azeiza
A Hamas member released in the 2011 Gilad Shalit deal, Azeiza returned to terrorist activity and was re-arrested in March 2024. He was sentenced to two years.
Mohammad Ali Hassan Qawsmeh
Also freed in the Shalit exchange, Mohammad Qawsmeh resumed Hamas operations and was detained again in March 2024, receiving a two-year sentence.
A Difficult Exchange
The ceasefire and prisoner-exchange deal has been framed by US, Qatari, and Egyptian mediators as a necessary step toward de-escalation and humanitarian relief. Yet for many Israelis, the agreement revives painful memories of past exchanges—such as the 2011 release of over a thousand prisoners for captured soldier Gilad Shalit, many of whom later returned to terrorism.
The Israeli government insists the current agreement is narrowly focused on saving lives and reuniting families after nearly two years of conflict in Gaza. But as hundreds of convicted terrorists prepare for release or deportation, questions remain over the long-term implications for Israel’s security and the region’s fragile stability.
