Israel-Hamas Swap Deal: Majority of Palestinians Slated for Release Are Teenage Boys
Jerusalem, Undefined: An official Israeli list has revealed that the majority of Palestinians scheduled for release under an Israel-Hamas swap deal to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza are teenage boys.
On Wednesday, Israel released the names of 300 Palestinian detainees who could potentially be set free under the agreement. The first phase of the deal will involve the release of 50 Israeli hostages over a four-day period, with 150 security detainees to be freed in response.
According to an examination of the names conducted by AFP, 33 of the detainees are women, 123 are boys under 18 years old, and 144 are 18-year-old men. The youngest detainee is 14-year-old Adam Abuda Hassan Gheit from annexed east Jerusalem. He was arrested in May for “hostile sabotage activity, attacking a police officer, and throwing stones.”
The oldest detainee on the list is 59-year-old Hanan Salah Abdallah Barghuti, who was arrested in September for “Hamas activity including money transfers.” The affiliation of the remaining detainees was not specified.
One notable individual on the list is Israa Jaabis, 38, who was convicted of detonating a gas cylinder in her car at a checkpoint in 2015, causing injuries to a police officer. She was sentenced to 11 years in prison.
The deal has been welcomed by Israeli rights group HaMoked. Its executive director, Jessica Montell, stated that holding people as hostages is illegal and a war crime, and therefore, Hamas should release all the hostages unconditionally. She further added that it is appropriate for Israel to release prisoners and detainees to advance this goal.
Montell highlighted that most of those to be released are detainees awaiting trial on charges ranging from incitement to stone-throwing to attempted murder. The list also includes women and teenagers who have been held without charge or trial under administrative detention.
“These people should have been released unconditionally, so a deal to release Israeli hostages and Palestinian administrative detainees is doubly welcome,” Montell emphasized.
(Note: This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
