Convicts’ and detainees’ families’ mixed feelings about the exchange agreement
On Wednesday, after the approval of the exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas, the conditions of the families of Israeli detainees and Palestinian prisoners oscillated between pain and hope, but all hope to soon embrace their loved ones again, according to Agence France-Presse .
Under the terms of the agreement, Hamas announced that it would initially release 50 detainees, women and children under 19, detained during the October 7 attack in southern Israel, an attack unprecedented in severity and scope since the establishment of the ‘organization. Jewish state. They will be released in exchange for the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners, including women and children under the age of 19, as well as a 4-day humanitarian truce.
Israel has published a list of the names of Palestinian prisoners, while Hamas has not yet released the names of the detainees in question. However, the families’ feelings were equally strong in both camps. The Hostage Families Forum, the main association of relatives of Israeli prisoners, said: “We are very happy that the partial release process is underway, but at the moment we do not know exactly who will be released and when.”
Among the approximately 240 detainees in Gaza, there are at least 35 children, including 18 aged 10 or younger, and more than 50 women, according to a tally by Agence France-Presse. Gilad Korngold, whose seven family members are detained, including his 8-year-old nephew, Naveh, and 3-year-old niece, Yahil, said: “Hamas will publish every evening the names of those who will be released the next day. .”
Happy but
Gilad explained to Agence France-Presse: “All we know is that we have to stay at home,” and added: “Until I see them with my own eyes, I won’t believe what they tell me.”
Shemi Calderon, whose nephew Ofer is detained, confirmed he has mixed feelings. She said: “We are happy that there is an agreement, but they will not come back until it is actually reached.” And she added: “We hope that this madness ends as soon as possible for everyone.”
In Tel Aviv, where relatives of detainees have been demonstrating for more than 6 weeks, feelings vary between relief and frustration, as everyone calls for an agreement that includes all detainees. Marva Tuvia (42) summed it up by saying: “We are happy for those who will be released, but we still think about all those who will remain,” explaining: “I have mixed feelings.”
The hostages were taken and transferred to Gaza following an attack by Hamas fighters on Israeli territory on October 7, which also killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, according to authorities. Since then, Israel has relentlessly bombed the Gaza Strip. This led to the killing of more than 14,100 people in the coastal strip, most of them children and women, according to the Hamas government.
Israeli authorities confirm that none of the Palestinian prisoners on the list had “blood on their hands”. The list includes 300 names, but the agreement currently covers only 150 of them.
Mixed feelings
The families of the Palestinian prisoners, in turn, have mixed feelings. Samira Dwayyat, from East Jerusalem, told Agence France-Presse: “I cry, I laugh and I tremble.” It is possible that Israel will release her daughter Shorouk (26 years old), who spent 8 years in prison, or half of her sentence. Her mother adds: “This year I kept imagining her walking through the door.”
Muhammad Ziada says of his sister Rawan (29), who spent 8 years out of 10 in prison on charges of attempting to carry out a stabbing attack: “Our joy is great, and there is no equal, and we hope that all prisoners will be released.” He added to Agence France-Presse: “We don’t know if it will be released in the first series or not, but we thank God for everything and we pity all the martyrs who fell during the war, but this is our condition.” under occupation, whether prisoners or martyrs.”
The list of Palestinian prisoners eligible for release includes 33 women, 123 children under 18 and 144 boys over 18 from the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Some of them have been convicted, but most are awaiting trial on charges ranging from inciting stone-throwing to attempted murder, according to Jessica Montiel, director of the Israeli human rights organization HaMoked.
Among them there are also women and minors in administrative detention, and he adds in this regard: “These people should have been released unconditionally, so this agreement is truly welcome.”
Israa Jaabis (38) is the most famous name on the list: she was sentenced to eleven years in prison for detonating a gas cylinder in her car at an Israeli checkpoint in 2015. Which resulted in the injury of a policeman . After 47 days of war in Gaza, her sister Mona says: “We are trying to accept the idea of freeing all these prisoners after thousands of people have been killed, but it is difficult and our joy mixes with the blood shed ”.