Al Jazeera – Wednesday, November 29, 2023
Ramallah – With the resumption of prisoner exchange negotiations between Hamas and Israel, prominent figures sentenced to life imprisonment have re-emerged in the spotlight. These include key leaders of Hamas’s military wing, as well as prisoners from other factions, whom Israel refused to release in the 2011 “Wafa al-Ahrar” deal.
Life imprisonment in Israel has no specified duration, essentially meaning imprisonment for life. Since 2015, when Israel began holding the bodies of martyrs, life imprisonment also implies the potential to detain the body after death.
These prisoners are often accused of planning, carrying out, or participating in operations that resulted in Israeli casualties. Each life sentence typically corresponds to one fatality, with some prisoners serving multiple life terms.
Several notable prisoners were demanded by Hamas during the 2011 Wafa al-Ahrar negotiations in exchange for captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Despite Israel’s refusal to release them, these names have consistently topped Hamas’s demands in subsequent negotiations, including following the 2014 conflict and beyond.
According to a Palestinian source familiar with the 2011 negotiations, Israel has consistently refused to release prisoners it considers "the most dangerous," whether due to their intellect, ideology, or operational involvement. An Israeli officer was quoted saying, “Even if Israel ceased to exist, we would take these prisoners with us wherever we go.”
Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades claimed on October 7, 2023, to have captured between 200 and 250 Israelis, including soldiers, aiming to negotiate their release in exchange for approximately 7,000 Palestinian prisoners. Among these are over 550 prisoners serving one or more life sentences.
Mahamoud Issa (Hamas):
Arrested on June 3, 1993, before the Oslo Accords, Issa (55) is from Anata, east of Jerusalem. He is serving three life sentences and an additional 40 years for his involvement in the kidnapping and killing of an Israeli soldier in an attempt to free Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the late Hamas founder.
Osman and Moaz Bilel (Hamas):
The brothers, Osman (53) and Moaz (52), from Nablus, were arrested on August 19, 1995. Osman is serving 27 life sentences for his role in organizing martyrdom operations that caused numerous Israeli casualties. Moaz is serving a single life sentence for similar charges.
Abdel Nasser Issa (Hamas):
Arrested alongside Osman Bilel in 1995, Issa (55) is serving two life sentences and an additional 20 years for his involvement in operations in Jerusalem. He is a prominent leader within the prisoners' movement.
Ibrahim Hamed (Hamas):
Captured after an eight-year manhunt on August 23, 2006, Hamed (58) from Ramallah was accused of leading the Qassam Brigades in the West Bank and orchestrating martyrdom operations. He is serving 54 life sentences.
Abbas Sayyed (Hamas):
Sayyed (57) from Tulkarm was arrested on May 8, 2002, and is serving 36 life sentences plus 200 years for his role in operations during the Second Intifada.
Abdullah Barghouti (Hamas):
Barghouti (51) holds the longest sentence in Israeli history—67 life sentences and 5,200 years. He was convicted for his involvement in 14 operations that killed 67 Israelis and injured over 500.
Wael Qasem (Hamas):
From Silwan in Jerusalem, Qasem (53) was arrested in 2002 and sentenced to 35 life terms plus 50 years for his role in armed activities with Hamas’s military wing.
Jamal Abu Al-Hija (Hamas):
Born in 1959 in Jenin Refugee Camp, Abu Al-Hija (64) was arrested on August 26, 2002, and sentenced to nine life terms. He led military efforts during the 2002 Battle of Jenin Camp.
Ammar Zaben (Hamas):
Arrested in 1998, Zaben (48) from Nablus is serving 27 life terms plus 25 years for his role in organizing martyrdom operations.
Nael Barghouti (Hamas):
Barghouti (66), the longest-serving Palestinian prisoner, entered his 44th year in detention this month. Arrested in 1977, he was released in the 2011 exchange but rearrested in 2014 and had his original sentence reinstated.
Marwan Barghouti (Fatah):
A member of Fatah’s Central Committee, Barghouti (65) from Kobar was sentenced to five life terms for leading the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades during the Second Intifada.
Ahmed Saadat (Popular Front):
Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Saadat (70) was arrested from a PA-run Jericho prison in 2006 and sentenced to 30 years for his involvement in the assassination of Israeli Tourism Minister Rehavam Zeevi.
Thair Hamad (Fatah):
Known as the “Sniper of Wadi Al-Haramiyya,” Hamad (43) is serving 11 life terms for a 2002 operation near Ramallah that killed 11 Israeli soldiers.
Hamas continues to demand the release of these high-profile prisoners in any future exchange agreements.