Israel is to release Saturday its longest-held Palestinian captive, Mohammed al-Tous, 69 years old, in the biggest prisoner swap facilitated by the current Gaza cease-fire. Tous has been imprisoned since 1985 and is one of 200 Palestinians whose release has been agreed upon, sources said.
Who is Mohammed al-Tous?
Mohammed al-Tous is a senior figure in Fatah, the Palestinian movement founded by Yasser Arafat, who has been imprisoned in Israel for nearly four decades. As part of the prisoner release, Hamas freed four female Israeli hostages earlier today.
Prisoner Exchange Details
According to a Palestinian source, 200 inmates will be freed, and of them, 120 will have served life terms. This exchange forms the second key phase of the ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Hamas with assistance from Qatar, Egypt, and the United States.
Hamas released four of the five abducted Israeli soldiers: Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy (all 20 years old), and Liri Albag, 19. Those were received safely by the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) and returned to their families.
Soldiers who were held by Hamas, and whose disappearance during an attack launched on Israel by the Gaza group on October 7, 2023, had drawn a flurry of attention to themselves. A soldier is reported to be in the captivity of the Palestinian militant group, Islamic Jihad, by a Palestinian source quoted by Reuters.
Hostage Families Call for Freedom for Remaining Hostages
Families of the still-held hostages in Gaza have appealed to Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ensure that all remaining hostages are released as a matter of priority. They also called on former US President Donald Trump to keep international pressure on Hamas.
This prisoner-hostage exchange is a defining step in executing the Gaza ceasefire while putting hostilities into abeyance and paving the way for relief and settlement.
This is the second hostages’ release, following Hamas’s release of three Israeli civilians in exchange for 90 Palestinian prisoners in the first swap. The deal also requires a pullback of Israeli troops from some positions in Gaza, furthering the fragile peace efforts.
