Palestinian prisoners released by Israel, Hamas confirms Deif’s death
- After a delay from the Israeli government, the release of 110 Palestinian prisoners has begun. This follows the confirmation by the Israeli military of the release of three Israelis, one male and two female, and five Thai nationals from captivity in the Gaza Strip.
- Hamas has confirmed the killing of military commander Mohammed Deif. Israel says he was killed in July.
Clinics remain open in West Bank, East Jerusalem: UNRWA
The United Nations Palestinian Relief Agency (UNRWA) says that its clinics remain open in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, as Israel’s ban on the agency comes into effect.
UNRWA’s humanitarian work in Gaza also continued, and the agency is committed to “staying and delivering” necessary relief, a UN spokesperson said.
The UN agency has warned that Israel’s ban on its operations operations “will have serious consequences” for the tens of thousands of Palestinians it supports. The agency said earlier that it had not received any official communication on how the Israeli parliament’s bills banning its operation would be implemented
Israeli soldier killed, five injured in Jenin fighting: report
An Israeli soldier was killed and five others were wounded during an exchange of fire with Palestinian fighters in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank, according to Israeli media.
The Times of Israel identified the slain soldier as 20-year-old Liam Hazi, of the Kfir Brigade’s Haruv reconnaissance unit. One of the wounded was listed as being in a serious condition.
Palestinian prisoners reflect ‘a nation that has been caged’ by Israel
Xavier Abu Eid, a political analyst based in the occupied West Bank, said that while Palestinians were celebrating the release of dozens of loved ones as part of the ceasefire deal, many more remained in Israeli custody.
“We have to remember that we have over 10,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and according to this ceasefire agreement only 750 are going to be released by the end of this first stage,” said Abu Eid, noting that around 1,000 people from Gaza who were “totally innocent, not found guilty of anything” were arrested after October 7.
“The Palestinian prisoners’ issue reflects on the overall reality of a nation that has been caged by the Israeli occupation,” Abu Eid added.
Emotional scenes as Palestinian prisoners reunite with families
Local journalists are documenting the emotional reunions between freed Palestinian prisoners and their families.
In a video verified by Al Jazeera’s Sanad unit, former prisoner Nidal al-Barai embraces his relatives in the Gaza Strip after his release from Ofer Prison.
Family of released Palestinian prisoners awaits reunion three decades after arrest
Mohammed al-Burai, the son of one of the released Palestinian prisoners who have arrived in Khan Younis, told Al Jazeera he was a two-year-old toddler when his father was arrested.
“Now, I’m 32 and my son is six,” he said as he stood in front of the European Hospital in Khan Younis, waiting for his father to complete medical checks and be allowed to reunite with his family.
“I’m so grateful to God for having the opportunity to see my father and I hope that all the other prisoners will be released,” al-Burai said.
Qassam Brigades’ Abu Obaida on Mohammed Deif
Qassam Brigades spokesperson Abu Obaida repeatedly praised Deif during his announcement that the military commander had indeed been killed.
“This is befitting of our leader Mohammed Deif, who exhausted the enemy for more than 30 years,” Abu Obaida said.
“How, by God, could Mohammed Deif be mentioned in history without the title ‘martyr’, and without the medal of martyrdom?” Abu Obaida asked. “And how could Marwan Issa, the brain of the Qassam Brigades and its pillar, die in his bed?”Abu Obeida also confirmed the killing of several other Hamas military commanders, including Ghazi Abu Tamaa, the commander of weapons and combat services, Raed Thabet, commander of manpower and head of supplies unit, and Rafei Salama, the commander of the Khan Younis Brigade.
Who was Mohammed Deif?
Deif was one of the founders of Hamas’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades, in the 1990s and led the force for more than 20 years. He was also said to have planned attacks leading to the deaths of dozens of Israelis. Deif was also believed to have developed the group’s network of tunnels and its bomb-making expertise.
In August 2014, Deif’s wife and seven-month-old son were killed in an Israeli air strike that targeted a house in Gaza where the family was staying.
According to reports, Deif lost an eye and sustained serious injuries in one leg in one of Israel’s assassination attempts. His survival while running Hamas’s armed wing turned him into a folk hero among Palestinians.
On the morning of October 7, 2023, Hamas issued a rare voice recording of Deif announcing the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation, signalling the attacks that day on southern Israel were payback for Israeli raids at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest site.
In August, Israeli officials said their military had killed Deif in a July 13 air strike on al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. But Hamas denied the news at the time, telling reporters that Deif was “well and directly overseeing” the group’s operations.
