Aziza Nofal / Al Jazeera Net - January 30, 2023
Ramallah – In October 1985, while attempting to flee to Jordan with his group "Ain al-Jabal" after carrying out a series of operations that dealt painful blows to the Israeli occupation and its settlers, an Israeli force assassinated his comrades and wounded him. Israel did not announce the name of the injured individual, leading his family to believe he had been martyred. Months later, they received the news: "Mohammed is alive."
The survival of prisoner Mohammed Ahmad Al-Tous from that incident was a miracle that revived his family’s hope, even though they knew his sentence would be severe. Still, they held on to the hope that he would soon be freed in a prisoner exchange deal.
That hope became a reality for most of those arrested with Al-Tous during that period and afterwards, as Israel released the majority of prisoners in 1995 under the Oslo Accords. However, Al-Tous was excluded due to Israel’s objection to releasing him and others it claimed had "blood on their hands."
These prisoners were labeled the "veteran prisoners," with their families continuously advocating for their release, fueled by the hope of a future deal or agreement that would free them.
The renewed hope was dashed in 2004, following a deal between Hezbollah and Israel that saw the release of 400 Palestinian prisoners. Then again in 2011, the prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel for the release of soldier Gilad Shalit did not include them.
In 2013, Israel announced it would release 104 veteran prisoners as part of renewed negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. This announcement brought hope to Al-Tous and his family, says his son Shadi, who was just two years old when his father was arrested: “Our happiness was indescribable at the time. We began preparing to welcome him, but as the lists of names for each release phase were announced, our anxiety grew, especially for my mother.”
The prisoners were to be released in phases based on the length of their imprisonment, meaning Al-Tous should have been in the first group released in August 2013. However, his name was delayed to the final phase scheduled for March the following year. The family began to suspect that Israel was stalling his release, which was confirmed when Israel refused to release the fourth group.
Although Al-Tous maintained high morale, the disappointment was too much for his family to bear, especially his wife, who suffered a fatal stroke the following year, according to his son Shadi.
Al-Tous, from the town of Jab'a near Bethlehem, had formed a group called "Jabal al-Khalil" (Mount Hebron). For three years, he and his comrades carried out operations targeting the occupation in the Hebron mountains until they were ambushed. Al-Tous was captured, and his four comrades—Ali Khleila, Mohammed Nafi’at, Mahmoud Al-Najjar, and Mohammed Adwan—were martyred.
After enduring months of torture, Al-Tous was sentenced to life imprisonment. He spent his first years in prison recovering from the injuries sustained during his capture.
Al-Tous documented his experiences in a novel titled Ain al-Jabal ("The Eye of the Mountain"), published in 2021, where he described his survival as a miracle.
During his decades of imprisonment, his three children grew up, married, and had children he has never met. The occupation considers grandchildren second-degree relatives and denies them visitation rights. Despite this, Al-Tous remains full of national spirit, consistently reaffirming in his messages: "I do not regret the great sacrifice I made for the homeland, and I am confident that I will leave prison and that freedom is near."
Following the release of Karim Younis, the longest-serving Palestinian prisoner, on January 5, and his cousin Maher Younis 14 days later after 40 years in prison, Al-Tous inherited the title "Dean of Palestinian Prisoners." This title is bestowed upon the longest-serving prisoner in Israeli jails.
The first prisoner to bear the title was Ahmed Jabara, known as "Abu Sukkar," who spent 27 years in prison before being freed at the request of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat in 2003. The title then passed to Sa'id Al-Ataba, "Abu al-Hakam," the first Palestinian prisoner to surpass 30 years in captivity.
Al-Ataba, excluded from the Oslo Agreement’s release terms, was arrested in 1977 on charges of leading military cells in the West Bank and Gaza and manufacturing explosive devices. He was sentenced to three life terms and was released in 2008 after 32 years as part of a deal to release 200 prisoners.
Marwan Barghouti inherited the title after Al-Ataba's release. Barghouti had served 31 years in prison by 2011, when he was freed under the Wafa al-Ahrar ("Loyalty of the Free") deal between Hamas and Israel in exchange for Gilad Shalit. Despite being re-arrested in 2014, making him the longest-serving political prisoner, the title of "Dean of Prisoners" continues to denote the longest-serving prisoner at any given time.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Sa’id Al-Ataba explained the context of the title: “The term became associated with the longest-serving prisoner as a mark of respect and distinction, though it was not widely promoted outside the prison community.”
The title originally applied to prisoners held for over 20 years, with the first to reach this milestone being Omar Al-Qassem, dubbed the "Mandela of Palestine." Al-Qassem was arrested in 1968 while leading a commando unit infiltrating Israel to carry out attacks. After 21 years in prison, he succumbed to liver disease in 1989, a victim of medical neglect.