Most of the Palestinian prisoners Israel wants to exchange with Hamas are teenagers aged 18 and under, accused of crimes such as causing disorder and supporting terrorism.
Nearly seven weeks after fighting broke out, Israel and Hamas agreed to a deal that will take effect on November 24, under which Tel Aviv will release 150 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for at least 50 women and children being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip during a four-day ceasefire.
If the process is successful, a second phase will be conducted with a similar hostage-prisoner exchange ratio, the Israeli government said.
Israel on November 22 released a list of 300 Palestinian prisoners who could be released. The list includes the prisoners' ages and the crimes they are accused of.
A group campaigning for the release of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons holds a protest in front of the Red Cross in the West Bank city of Ramallah on November 21. Photo: AFP
The majority of the Palestinians on the list are teenage boys arrested in the past two years, none older than 18. The youngest are just 14, including a boy arrested for throwing rocks and making explosives.
The list includes some people from the Gaza Strip, but most are from the West Bank and East Jerusalem, where violence has flared in recent years as Israel tries to expand its settlements.
Of those named on the list, 49 were identified as Hamas members, and 60 as Fatah, the party that leads the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.
There are about 30 women and girls on the list. The oldest is Hanan Barghouti, 59, who was arrested in an Israeli raid earlier this year on suspicion of supporting terrorism.
One of the Palestinian women set to be released is Misoun Mussa, who was sentenced to 15 years for a 2015 stabbing attack on Israeli soldiers in Jerusalem. Another is Marah Bakeer, who was arrested in October 2015 at the age of 16 after stabbing a border guard. She was sentenced to 8.5 years in prison.
Female prisoner Asra Jabas, from East Jerusalem, was arrested for blowing up a petrol tank at a checkpoint near the West Bank city of Ma'ale Adumim, slightly injuring a police officer.
Many of those listed have not yet been convicted, meaning they may not have faced trial. Human rights groups have long expressed concerns about the lack of due process in Israel's judicial system, particularly in military courts.
Qadura Fares, head of the Committee for the Affairs of Palestinian Detainees and Former Detainees, said Israel currently holds about 8,300 Palestinians in prisons.
More than 3,000 of them are in what Israel calls “administrative detention,” meaning they were arrested without knowing the charges against them and without any ongoing legal process, Fares said.
Israel is suspected of stepping up its arrests of Palestinians since the Hamas attack on October 7. As many as 2,070 cases were recorded in the West Bank and Jerusalem last month alone, according to the non-governmental organization Palestinian Prisoners Association.
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh last week accused Israel of stepping up arrests in “preparation for a prisoner swap.” Israel has not commented on the accusation.
In Ramallah, a Palestinian family awaits the return of Hannan Barghouti, a woman who was arrested with her three sons after October 7 under “administrative detention.” Hannan is on the release list, but her children are not.
"Hannan's grandchildren are very eager to meet her," a relative said.
Vu Hoang (According to CNN, Washington Post, Haaretz )
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