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RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Israel connected Saturday is releasing 183 Palestinian prisoners successful the latest speech for Israeli hostages held successful Gaza, portion of a ceasefire that has paused the warfare but whose aboriginal is uncertain.
Israel views the information prisoners arsenic terrorists, portion Palestinians spot them arsenic state fighters resisting a decades-long subject occupation.
Nearly each Palestinian has a person oregon household subordinate who has been jailed by Israel astatine immoderate point, for militant attacks oregon lesser offenses similar rock-throwing, protesting oregon rank successful a banned governmental group. Some are held for months oregon years without proceedings successful what is known arsenic administrative detention, which Israel says is needed to forestall attacks and debar sharing delicate intelligence.
Eighteen of those released Saturday had been sentenced to beingness and 54 were serving agelong sentences for their engagement successful deadly attacks against Israelis. Seven of those convicted of the astir superior crimes volition beryllium transferred to Egypt up of further deportation.
Among those being released are 111 Palestinians who were rounded up aft Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, onslaught connected confederate Israel, which triggered the war. They person been detained without trial.
Here’s a look astatine immoderate salient Palestinian prisoners released since the truce went into effect connected Jan. 19.
Iyad Abu Shakhdam
Abu Shakhdam, 49, was sentenced to the equivalent of 18 beingness sentences implicit his engagement successful Hamas attacks that killed dozens of Israelis during the 2nd intifada, oregon Palestinian uprising, betwixt 2000 and 2005.
Among the astir infamous of those attacks was a treble termination bombing that blew up 2 buses successful the confederate Israeli metropolis of Beersheba successful 2004, sidesplitting 16 Israelis, including a 4-year-old, and wounding implicit 100 others. In interviews with Arabic media, helium described his militancy arsenic a tendency for revenge stemming from his brother’s sidesplitting by Israeli information forces successful 2000.
Abu Shakhdam was connected the tally for weeks earlier his apprehension successful his hometown of Hebron successful the West Bank successful November 2004, pursuing a gunfight with Israeli information forces successful which helium was changeable 10 times.
During 21 years successful prison, his household said, helium finished precocious schoolhouse and earned a certificate for courses successful psychology.
Jamal al-Tawil
Al-Tawil, 61, a salient Hamas person successful the occupied West Bank, has spent astir 2 decades successful and retired of Israeli prison, successful portion implicit allegations that helium helped crippled termination bombings.
Most recently, the Israeli subject arrested al-Tawil 2021, saying that helium had participated successful convulsive riots and mobilized Hamas governmental activists successful Ramallah, the spot of the semi-autonomous Palestinian Authority and Hamas' main rival.
He had been held without complaint oregon proceedings since then. After his arrest, helium went connected hunger onslaught for much than 3 weeks to protestation his administrative detention.
During 1 of al-Tawil's stints successful Israeli situation successful the aboriginal 2000s, helium ran a palmy electoral run from custody to go politician of Al-Bireh, a West Bank municipality abutting Ramallah.
U.S. tribunal documents from 2007, filed by the families of Israelis killed during the 2nd intifada, amusement that al-Tawil had served for years arsenic president of Al-Islah Charitable Society, a beforehand enactment to rise wealth for Hamas. The lawsuit accused al-Tawil of recruiting a Hamas militant to transportation retired a 2001 termination bombing that targeted a crowded pedestrian promenade successful Jerusalem, sidesplitting 11 people.
His daughter, 32-year-old writer Bushra al-Tawil, was among the dozens of women and teenagers released successful the archetypal circular of prisoner-for-hostage exchanges connected Jan. 19.
He and different captive were instantly taken to a infirmary for aesculapian attraction aft their merchandise connected Saturday.
Mohammed el-Halabi
The Palestinian manager of the Gaza subdivision of World Vision, a large Christian assistance organization, was arrested successful 2016 and accused of diverting tens of millions of dollars to Hamas successful a high-profile lawsuit that drew disapproval from rights groups. He was freed connected Feb. 1.
Both el-Halabi, 47, and World Vision vigorously denied the allegations and autarkic investigations recovered nary impervious of wrongdoing. One autarkic audit recovered that el-Halabi had enforced interior controls and ordered employees to debar anyone suspected of Hamas ties.
Rights groups accidental el-Halabi was denied a just and transparent trial, arsenic helium and World Vision had nary accidental to reappraisal the grounds against them. U.N. experts accidental el-Halabi was questioned for 50 days without entree to a lawyer. He was sentenced to 12 years successful prison.
Israel has attributed the closed hearings to delicate information accusation being relayed.
Shadi Amouri
Amouri, 44, from the bluish West Bank metropolis of Jenin, was arrested for his alleged relation successful manufacturing the almighty car weaponry that detonated beside an Israeli autobus packed with passengers connected June 5, 2002, sidesplitting 17 Israelis successful what became known arsenic the Megiddo Junction termination bombing.
The onslaught during the 2nd intifada took spot successful bluish Israel. The Palestinian militant radical Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility.
Amouri was sentenced to beingness successful prison, positive 20 years. He was among those transferred to Egypt connected Feb. 1 and released into exile.
Zakaria Zubeidi
Zakaria Zubeidi is simply a salient erstwhile militant person and theatre manager whose melodramatic jailbreak successful 2021 thrilled Palestinians crossed the Middle East and stunned the Israeli information establishment.
Zubeidi was a elder militant successful the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade successful the municipality Jenin exile campy successful the West Bank. After the 2nd intifada successful 2006, helium co-founded a theatre successful Jenin to beforehand what helium described arsenic taste absorption to Israel. The Freedom Theater has enactment connected everything from Shakespeare to stand-up drama to plays written by residents.
In 2019, aft Zubeidi had already served years successful situation for attacks successful the aboriginal 2000s, Israel arrested him again implicit his alleged engagement successful shooting attacks that targeted buses of Israeli settlers but caused nary injuries.
Zubeidi, who was released connected Jan. 30 into the West Bank, had been awaiting proceedings successful prison. He denies the charges, saying that helium gave up militancy to absorption connected his governmental activism aft the intifada.
In 2021, helium and 5 different prisoners tunneled retired of a maximum-security situation successful bluish Israel. All six were recaptured days later.
Mohammed Abu Warda
A Hamas militant during the 2nd intifada, Abu Warda helped signifier a bid of termination bombings that killed implicit 40 radical and wounded much than a 100 others. Israel arrested him successful 2002, and sentenced him to 48 presumption of beingness imprisonment, among the longest sentences it ever issued.
As a young student, Abu Warda joined Hamas astatine the commencement of the intifada pursuing Israel’s sidesplitting of Yahya Ayyash, the militant group’s starring weaponry maker, successful 1996.
Palestinian authorities said astatine the clip that Abu Warda had helped to enlistee termination bombers, whose attacks targeting crowded civilian areas successful Israeli cities killed scores of radical successful the aboriginal 2000s.
Abu Warda was released and deported connected Jan. 30.
Mohammed Aradeh, 42
An activistic successful Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Aradeh was sentenced to beingness successful situation for a scope of offenses going backmost to the 2nd intifada. Some of the charges, according to the Israeli Prison Service, included planting an explosive instrumentality and attempted murder.
He was credited with plotting the bonzer situation flight successful 2021, erstwhile helium and 5 different detainees, including Zubeidi, utilized spoons to passageway retired 1 of Israel’s astir unafraid prisons. They remained astatine ample for days earlier being caught.
From an impoverished and politically progressive household successful Jenin, successful the bluish occupied West Bank, Aradeh has 3 brothers and a sister who person each spent years successful Israeli prisons.
He was welcomed arsenic a benignant of cult leader successful Ramallah connected Jan. 25 arsenic family, friends and fans swarmed him, immoderate chanting “The state tunnel!” successful notation to his jailbreak.
Mohammed Odeh, 52, Wael Qassim, 54, and Wissam Abbasi, 48
All 3 men hail from the vicinity of Silwan, successful eastbound Jerusalem, and roseate wrong the ranks of Hamas. Held liable for a drawstring of deadly attacks during the 2nd intifada, the men were handed aggregate beingness sentences successful 2002.
They were accused of plotting a termination bombing astatine a crowded excavation hallway adjacent Tel Aviv successful 2002 that killed 15 people. Later that year, they were recovered to person orchestrated a bombing astatine Hebrew University that killed 9 people, including 5 American students. Israel had described Odeh, who was moving arsenic a creator astatine the assemblage astatine the time, arsenic the designer of the attack.
All 3 were transferred to Egypt connected Jan. 25. Their families unrecorded successful Jerusalem and said they volition articulation them successful exile.
Mohammad al-Tous, 67
The 67-year-old al-Tous had held the rubric of longest continuous Israeli imprisonment until his merchandise past Saturday, Palestinian authorities said.
First arrested successful 1985 portion warring Israeli forces on the Jordanian border, the activistic successful the Fatah enactment spent a full of 39 years down bars. Originally from the West Bank metropolis of Bethlehem, helium was among the prisoners exiled connected Jan. 25.
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