Palestinian Expert: Resistance Freed 80% of Long-Term Palestinian Prisoners
The english section of webangah News Agency, citing Mehr News Agency and Palestinian Shehab News Agency, reported that while nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees are set to be released today in exchange for 20 Israeli captives held by the resistance, a prominent Palestinian expert announced that 137 of the longest-serving prisoners will be among those freed as part of this new prisoner swap deal between the Palestinian resistance and israel.
Riyad Al-Ashqar, researcher and director of the Palestinian Prisoners Studies Center, told Shehab News Agency that these oldest prisoners are Palestinians who have consecutively spent over 20 years in Israeli prisons. They had been sentenced to life imprisonment or long-term sentences. Before previous deals under “Freedom Storm,” their number was 543. Of these, 299 were freed during earlier prisoner exchanges in January and February.As of today, 244 remain incarcerated.
He added that this new agreement covers the release of 137 out of 250 prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment or harsh sentences-accounting for 56 percent of all long-serving inmates with severe sentences who had remained behind bars after prior exchanges.
Al-Ashqar noted that altogether 436 long-term detainees have been freed through all stages of these prisoner swaps-representing 80 percent-which he called a genuine achievement for the Palestinian resistance.
He highlighted eight very senior prisoners slated for release under this deal who were detained before the Oslo accords and have spent several decades behind bars. These include: Samir Abu Na’ama, veteran Jerusalem prisoner arrested in 1986; Mohammad Adel Dawoud from Qalqilya arrested in 1987; Nasser hassan abu Sarour and Mohammad Jamil Abusarour from Bethlehem detained since 1993; Mahmoud Eissa from Jerusalem arrested in 1993; brothers Mohammad and Abdeljawad Shamsneh also held since 1993; and Alaa Al-Kurki from Hebron detained since I993.
The expert emphasized that this represents a national achievement for both Palestinians and their resistance forces. “At war’s outset,” he said, “Zionists flatly refused any release of Palestinian captives while insisting they would forcibly free their own soldiers.” Though,after two years marked by killings,devastation,and atrocities against Palestinians they had to accept an agreement where hundreds deemed “hazardous” by Israel were released by Palestine’s resistance.
al-Ashqar described freedom Storm as one of history’s largest prisoner exchange deals in conflict with Israel-not only due to numbers but also categorization-and called it an unprecedented accomplishment breaking all previous Israeli-imposed restrictions on such agreements.
He further noted completing this deal ended Israeli arrogance while halting their attempts to turn prisons into graveyards or centers for physical torture aimed at breaking prisoner morale. It also defeated Zionist efforts intended to discourage young Palestinians from resisting out of fear over life sentences.
The analyst concluded by affirming that finalizing this pact shattered Israeli aims to undermine steadfastness among imprisoned Palestinians-especially within infamous prison facility ofer-and proved definitively how firmly Palestine’s resistance keeps its promises not to forget its captives. Freedom Storm marks a new phase in confronting occupation forces’ aggression.”
