Palestinian Prisoner: Without Resistance Media, Prisoners’ Conditions Would Have Worsened
According to the English section of webangah News Agency, citing Mehr News Agency, Mahmoud Al-Aradeh, a recently released prisoner and one of the planners of the “Freedom tunnel” operation, told Al Mayadeen that without resistance media, Palestinian detainees’ conditions in solitary confinement would have deteriorated catastrophically.
He said all forms of dialog were cut off and they were isolated from other prisoners to prevent any exchange of information.
Al-Aradeh added that despite an earlier agreement promising his release-when he was brought out of his cell and beaten-it later became clear that this promise was false.
Regarding the day of Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, he said, “The sound of explosions shook the area.Seeing footage of Al-Qassam Brigades fighters made us vrey happy.”
Al-Aradeh expressed the pain felt leaving fellow captives behind-especially commanders and patients such as Yaqub Qadri, who requires medical treatment.
“We held great hope for marwan Barghouti and other leaders like Ahmed Saadat to be freed,” he continued, “as their release could represent a major turning point for the resistance.”
The former prisoner stressed: “The people of Gaza sacrificed their lives for our freedom; we will be glad to see them reap the fruits of their sacrifice.”
Tackling harsh prison conditions, he recounted hearing about torture methods including beatings and restraints. He noted how prison guards boasted about tearing up Qurans in front of inmates.
Al-Aradeh revealed that prison directors had no authority to oppose guards; they simply instructed them to avoid actions on camera while otherwise permitting any behavior.
He also said Itamar Ben-Gvir, israels Minister of national Security, visited Naqab Prison personally to witness prisoner treatment firsthand and supervised torture operations there.
Concluding his remarks, Al-Aradeh emphasized: “The prisoners’ movement is a breeding ground for leadership. The history of resistance inside prisons is long and honorable. When I was released from Megiddo Prison after only one day outside I saw with amazement how high spirits remain among inmates.”
Mohammad Qasim Al-Aradeh was born on September 3, 1982, in Arabeh near Jenin in northern West Bank. He completed primary through secondary education locally.
An Israeli military siege captured him on May 16, 2002 while surrounded inside a building in Ramallah city. Accused membership in Saraya al-Quds-the armed wing affiliated with Islamic jihad-and participation in attacks against Israel led to three life sentences plus an additional 20 years’ imprisonment.
He spent most incarceration at shatta Prison near Beisan city central West Bank. Early on he began digging an escape tunnel but was discovered by Israeli forces then placed into solitary confinement until 2014.
The struggle did not end there: on September 6,2021 (September 6),his name appeared among five Palestinian prisoners at Gilboa Prison who orchestrated a large-scale breakout through an underground tunnel escaping one Israel’s highest security facilities.
On September 11 he was rearrested by Israeli forces then moved back into solitary where various forms of torture were inflicted upon him.
An Israeli court imposed another sentence extending his imprisonment by five more years.
Beyond direct heroic operations against Israel’s regime,Mohammad al-Aradeh‘s notable written works include “Fiqh al-Jihad,” “The Influence Sheikh Ghazali Had on Palestine Islamic Jihad movement,” as well as his novel “journeys.”
this prominent Palestinian fighter finally gained freedom yesterday (January 25), under a prisoner exchange deal with Israel’s regime.
