Palestinian Prisoners' Society: Occupation Terrorizing Released Prisoners & their Families
January 28, 2025

Ramallah, Palestine – Israeli occupation forces are terrorizing Palestinian political prisoners who were freed in the last two batches of a prisoner exchange deal that began on January 19, 2025, as well as their families. This includes military raids on homes, physical and verbal assault, threats of murder and re-arrest, as well intentional destruction and damage of homes.

Palestinians living under military occupation are being barred from any displays of joy over the release of their loved ones from Israeli prisons. The occupation has threatened to bomb the places where families and residents gathered to welcome their freed relatives. These threats were made through phone calls by occupation forces to the families of the released prisoners.

The Palestinian Prisoners' Society followed up on every incident of threats against the families of released prisoners over a two-week period, starting from the first phase of the prisoner exchange deal. These threats, which occurred both before and after the release of their children, prove that the occupation is systematically terrorizing them as a matter of policy. The objective of these policies is to undermine the symbolic value of the Palestinian political prisoner and his status in the collective Palestinian consciousness.

Among the Palestinian families whose homes were raided was that of freed political prisoner Ammar al-Shobaki from Qalqilya in the northern occupied West Bank. His siblings were assaulted by the occupation forces, and threats were made against them. The home of political prisoner Raed Badwan from the town of Biddu near occupied Jerusalem was also raided on the day of his release. Last night, the former detainee Badwan suffered a severe health crisis, requiring his transfer to the hospital, where he remains to this point. It is important to note that Badwan is one of the sick prisoners who endured systematic medical negligence during his detention.

Occupation forces also raided the Balata refugee camp in Nablus in the occupied West Bank while residents were welcoming the freed political prisoner Fahed al-Suwalhi, and they fired live ammunition with the intent to kill. Another released detainee was arrested two days after his release at a military checkpoint in the Hebron governorate while on his way to receive medical treatment at one of the city's hospitals. He was subjected to abuse during his detention before being released, despite suffering from health issues and the lasting effects of serious injuries by Israeli forces sustained during his arrest operation.This morning, occupation forces also summoned released female prisoner Ashwaq Awad for interrogation by the Israeli intelligence at the "Etzion" detention center.

In this context, the PPS expresses its concern about the potential re-arrest of released Palestinian prisoners, particularly with the existence of a provision in ‘Military Order No. 1651’ of 2009, which allows for the re-arrest of prisoners released in exchange deals to complete the remainder of their sentences based on a “secret file”.

The occupation did not stop at threatening the families of released prisoners through phone calls. Based on testimonies gathered by the PPS, the prison administration and its repressive forces severely beat and abused the prisoners for days before their release. The abuse is visible on the bodies of several prisoners, including those who were deported to Egypt and Gaza. PPS spokesperson Amjad al-Najjar explained that based on a number of testimonies from released prisoners who were deported to Egypt, several of them had to be transferred for treatment due to the effects of the beatings they endured before their release. 

Al-Najjar, who traveled to Egypt, added that the occupation prevented most of the families of the released prisoners from traveling outside Palestine to greet their children abroad. Among them was Um Nasser Abu Hmeid, three sons of whom were released. She was prevented from traveling abroad to see her sons, who were deported to Egypt. Additionally, two sons of released prisoner Mohammad al-Tous were prevented from traveling to Egypt to see him. 

The PPS appeals to the mediators to seriously intervene to stop the systematic and organized terrorism being practiced against the released prisoners and their families, especially since the exchange deal is still in its early stages, particularly with regard to the beatings and abuse faced by the released prisoners before their release. The PPS also calls for the removal of the provision in the military order that allows the re-arrest of released prisoners.