BEITUNIYA, West Bank (AP) – Israel is preparing to exchange about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners for the 48 hostages, living and dead, still being held in the Gaza Strip, with many hoping the two-year war will finally end under a cease-fire agreement.
The release has strong resonance on both sides. This is extremely difficult for Israelis, as some of those being released have been convicted of attacks that killed civilians and soldiers. Prisoners of war is one of the most politically sensitive issues for Palestinians, and almost every Palestinian has a friend or family member, especially young people, who has been imprisoned by Israel. Israel considers prisoners of war to be terrorists, but many Palestinians consider them freedom fighters resisting Israel’s decades-long military occupation.
In previous exchanges, both sides have sought to strictly control the release of images, clothing, ceremonies, etc., citing political considerations.
The 2,000 people include about 1,700 of the thousands of Palestinians seized from Gaza and held without charge by Israeli forces during the two-year war.
Among those scheduled for release are 250 Palestinians sentenced to prison, most of them convicted of murder and terrorism in deadly attacks on Israelis dating back decades, and others with misdemeanor convictions, according to Israel’s Justice Ministry. The longest serving of them has been behind bars for nearly 40 years.
What will happen to the liberation of the Palestinians?
Israel’s Prisons Authority said it was preparing prisoners in two prisons: Ofer prison near Jerusalem and Keziot prison in the southern Negev desert.
Israeli government spokesman Shosh Bedrossian said Sunday that the release would take place after all living hostages were freed.
People seized from Gaza during the war will be returned to Gaza. Some of the 250 Palestinians convicted will return to East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, but the majority will be sent to Gaza or sent into exile.
Palestinians gathered Monday morning at a hilltop observation deck overlooking Ofer Prison, where some detainees and prisoners are scheduled to be released. Over coffee with friends and relatives, he said he hoped the agreement would pave the way for peace.
Israeli armored vehicles drove up the hill from the prison and fired tear gas and rubber bullets at one side of the hill. The crowd dispersed as drones flew overhead. The tear gas was used following the distribution of leaflets warning that those who support what was described as a “terrorist organization” risked arrest.
“You have been warned,” said a flyer obtained by The Associated Press at the scene.
Israel has warned West Bank residents not to celebrate, as it has frequently done in past announcements, Palestinian Authority officials and families of prisoners told The Associated Press. The Israeli military distributed leaflets in areas where families of prisoners live warning that “those who take part in such activities are subject to punishment and arrest,” the official said. The Associated Press has seen a copy of the flyer.
The Israeli military did not respond to questions about the leaflets or restrictions. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media or his family for fear of retaliation. The Israeli military did not respond to questions about restrictions or warnings.
who is on the list
Rapid progress since last week’s ceasefire agreement left questions about who would be released until the end. Israel has published a list of about 250 convicts it plans to release, but Hamas has called for changes. Early Monday, Hamas released the names of more than 1,900 prisoners and detainees it said were scheduled for release, but Israel did not confirm the list.
Israel has provided little information about the 1,700 people in Gaza who will be released. Israeli forces have detained thousands of Palestinians during the war, raiding shelters and hospitals and stopping families fleeing their homes at checkpoints during military operations. Hundreds were released during the war.
Monday’s release means about 1,300 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip will remain in Israeli custody, according to a September count of detainees by Israeli human rights organization Hamoked.
According to Hamas’ list, the Gaza detainees to be released include two women, six teenagers under 18 and about 30 men over 60. Most of the detainees are being held under a new law passed in Israel at the start of the war that allows Palestinians to be held for months as “illegal combatants” without judicial review or access to lawyers. rights groups, united nations and detainees Reported routine abuse This includes beatings and inadequate food in detention centers. Israel adheres to its prison standards under the law and says it will investigate any reports of violations.
The list of 250 convicted prisoners to be released ranges in age from 19 to 64 and includes 159 members of Fatah, the political party that runs the Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank, and 63 members of Hamas. The rest are either independent or belong to other groups.
Many people were arrested in the early 2000s, sparking the Second Intifada, a Palestinian uprising fueled by anger at the continued occupation despite years of peace negotiations. The riots turned bloody, with hundreds of Israelis killed in attacks by Palestinian militants and thousands of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces.
Some have been convicted in military tribunals, but rights advocates say there is often a lack of due process. Some people have been imprisoned for months or years without trial in a condition known as administrative detention. Israel says the practice, widely criticized by Palestinians and human rights groups, is necessary to prevent attacks and avoid sharing sensitive information.
Not included in list Approximately 6 most famous prisoners, include Marwan BarghoutiHassan Salameh, Ahmed Saadat, Abbas Al Said. Barghouti is widely seen as a potential successor to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Israel’s list includes:
Raed Sheikh
Sheikh, a 51-year-old Palestinian police officer and Fatah member, was sentenced to multiple life sentences for his role in the 2000 killings of two Israeli soldiers who were attacked by a mob at a West Bank police station, including one who was thrown from a police station window.
Mahmoud Issa
Issa, a 57-year-old Hamas commander who was sentenced to life in prison in 1993, before the Oslo Interim Peace Agreement, was among those convicted of kidnapping and killing a 29-year-old Israeli border police officer that same year. Most of his more than 30 years in prison were spent in solitary confinement, conditions that made him an icon among prisoners’ rights activists.
Shamasne brothers
Two brothers, Mohammed, 56, and Abdel Jawad Shamasneh, 62, were sentenced to multiple life sentences in 1993 for their role in the stabbing that killed an Israeli hitchhiker, whose bodies were later found at the bottom of a river in Jerusalem in 1990 during the first Palestinian intifada.
Iyad Fatahta
Fatahta, a 47-year-old Fatah member serving a life sentence, was one of two people convicted of murdering American tourist Christine Luken and her surviving friend who was hiking with her.
__ Associated Press writer Lee Keith in Cairo contributed to this report.
