Israel releases Palestinian prisoners associated with suicide bombings and attempted killings

Israel released 369 Palestinians on Saturday, as part of a prisoner exchange for hostages held by Hamas. Some of the Palestinians had connections to suicide bombings and attempted murders.

Out of the 369 detainees, 36 were serving life sentences in Israeli prisons. However, only 12 of them were permitted to go back to their homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, while the remaining 24 were sent into exile.

Upon their release, the Palestinians were given white sweatshirts by the Israeli Prison Service. These sweatshirts featured the Prison Service logo, a Star of David, and the words “Never forgive, never forget” in Arabic on both the front and back. A video shared online later depicted the burning of these sweatshirts. Watch the video here.

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.  

Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has described Marwan Barghouti as “one of the leaders of the Second Intifada” who was “convicted in a criminal suit in Israeli district court on five separate counts of murder of innocent civilians.”