Dozens of Palestinian prisoners released but Israeli ‘occupation continues’
The release of Palestinian prisoners is a “huge relief” for families, but it is also under the “horrible realities of [the Israeli] occupation”, says Tamer Qarmout, an associate professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies.
“These prisoners should have been released through a bigger deal that ends the conflict, that brings peace through negotiations, through ending occupation, but the harsh reality in Palestine is that as we talk, occupation continues,” Qarmout told Al Jazeera.
“Israel is just intensifying its attacks on the West Bank, confiscating more land, surrounding villages and towns,” he added.
“In Jenin now, they have a major military operation, and they’re killing and arresting more people.”
Still, Hamas’s interest is to ensure the ceasefire holds and people are able to return to their homes, or to what’s left of them, Qarmout said.
“It’s kind of a cat and mouse, you know, equation, but … given the military pressure and given the fact that the resistance has been damaged to maybe an unrecognised way, I think Hamas has been doing good in terms of negotiations.”
‘Disappointed families’ as dozens of freed Palestinian prisoners face deportation
Some of the Palestinians being released are very high-profile prisoners. They are all either serving life or long-term sentences.
One prisoner, Mohammed al-Tous, has been in Israeli jail for almost four decades. He was arrested in 1985. He was a member of Fatah, which is now part of the Palestinian Authority. He was fighting the Israeli occupation at the time and there was a big shootout along the Jordanian border. He was one of the sole survivors. He is one of about 70 who will be deported. There will be some very disappointed families.
There’s one family in Am’ari camp [near Ramallah] with five members – all brothers – in Israeli prison. Three of them are being released today and the mother found out they will all be deported. Another one of her sons died of cancer in prison.
Another prisoner, Mohammad al-Ardah, was part of a jailbreak in 2021. He and a few others dug into a sewage system and managed to escape. This became huge news among Palestinians and then he was brought back to jail and given an extra five years. Now he’s being released.
Released Palestinian prisoners arrive in Gaza
Sixteen freed Palestinians have arrived in the Gaza Strip through the Karem Abu Salem crossing (Kerem Shalom to Israelis), our correspondent at Al Jazeera Arabic reports. The released Palestinian prisoners were transferred to the European Gaza Hospital in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza.
Where are the 200 released Palestinian prisoners?
- 114 have arrived in the occupied West Bank’s Ramallah city
- 70 deportees have been received by Egypt
- 16 have arrived in Gaza’s Khan Younis.
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