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Palestinians linked to suicide bombings and attempted murders are among the 369 released Saturday by Israel in its latest exchange for hostages captured by Hamas.
Thirty-six of the detainees were serving out life sentences in Israeli prisons, but only 12 of them were allowed to return to their homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The other 24 are being sent to exile.
Those released Saturday were wearing white sweatshirts given to them by the Israeli Prison Service upon their release, emblazoned with a Star of David, the Prison Service logo and the phrase “Never forgive, never forget” written in Arabic on the front and back, according to the Associated Press. A video later posted on X purportedly showed those sweatshirts being burned.
Among those that returned to the West Bank were Ibrahim and Musa Sarahneh, who served more than 22 years in prison for their involvement in suicide bombings that killed a number of Israelis during the second intifada, a Palestinian uprising against Israel in the early 2000s.
Hassan Aweis’s brother, Abdel Karim Aweis, whom Israel’s Justice Ministry said was sentenced to the equivalent of six life sentences for charges including throwing an explosive device, attempted murder and assault, was transferred to Egypt.
Ahmed Barghouti was also sent to Egypt on Saturday. Barghouti, who once was a commander in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, was given a life sentence for dispatching assailants and suicide bombers to carry out attacks that killed Israeli civilians during the second intifada.
Freed Palestinian prisoners are greeted by a crowd in Khan Younis as they arrive in the Gaza Strip after being released from an Israeli prison on Saturday, Feb. 15. (AP/Jehad Alshrafi)
Barghouti is a close aide of Marwan Barghouti, a popular Fatah leader who remains in Israeli custody.
“He was acquitted of 21 counts of murder in 33 other attacks, due to lack of sufficient evidence,” it added, noting that “during his trials, Barghouti showed no remorse for the murders he committed.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
