‘Our people’s goal will remain to unify the Arab nation to liberate Palestine’: Oldest freed prisoner
Nael Barghouti, who was the oldest Palestinian prisoner in Israeli custody before his release overnight, has sent a message of gratitude to the people of Gaza for resisting the Israeli occupation.
In a video verified by Al Jazeera’s Sanad fact-checking agency, he said: “We address all our people in the world and the free people of the world that our people’s goal will remain to unify the Arab nation to liberate Palestine from the sea to the river.”
Barghouti, who was born in the occupied West Bank town of Kobar on October 23, 1957, spent more than 40 years in Israeli captivity. He was first released as part of a swap in 2011 and rearrested in 2014.
Israel has long history of rearresting released Palestinian prisoners
Nael Barghouti, the longest-serving Palestinian political prisoner, is one of the 47 who were rearrested after their exchange for an Israeli soldier more than a decade ago, says Basil Farraj, assistant professor at the occupied West Bank’s Birzeit University.
“He spent nearly 45 years in captivity. Now, he is among the prisoners deported to Egypt,” he told Al Jazeera from occupied East Jerusalem.
He pointed to the broader nature of what the Gaza ceasefire has entailed, which includes the deportation of at least 229 Palestinians into Egypt primarily, with more being sorted for deportation to other countries.
“It’s very hard to believe Israel’s commitment to any ceasefire or prisoner exchange agreement, because historically, Israel has continuously rearrested Palestinians who were released as part of deals,” Farraj said.
“Most recently, there was the November 2023 truce, after which Israel rearrested many children released as part of the agreement.”
He said Israeli authorities also put limitations on released prisoners who are not deported, including in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Israeli authorities summon released Palestinians for questioning in East Jerusalem: Report
Wafa is reporting that several Palestinian prisoners released during the seventh round of prisoner-captive exchanges have been told to visit the al-Qishla investigation centre in the Old City of occupied East Jerusalem tomorrow.
The agency said the prisoners released earlier who had already been called in for investigations had been banned from entering the Old City, which houses the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
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