Nael Barghouti released after spending 45 years in Israeli prison
- Nael Barghouti, after spending 45 years in prison, was released as part of a prisoner swap agreement between Israel and Hamas.
- This swap was part of a fragile truce, which is expected to expire soon and has seen considerable political maneuvering from both sides.
- His release on February 27, 2025, marks a significant event in ongoing Israeli-Palestinian relations and brings to light the impact of prolonged conflict on both communities.
In a significant event marking a fragile truce between Israel and Hamas, Nael Barghouti, the longest-serving Palestinian prisoner in Israel, was released after spending 45 years in jail. This release occurred on February 27, 2025, as part of the latest hostage-prisoner swap, which concluded the first phase of an ongoing truce that began on January 19, 2025. Barghouti's journey to freedom included being expelled from the Palestinian territories and arriving in Egypt after his release. Barghouti was a member of the Fatah movement, which is led by current Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas, contrasting with the Islamist group Hamas. His release follows a series of negotiations and exchanges during the three-part hostage-prisoner swap, designed to bring an end to more than 15 months of hostilities that resulted in significant destruction and humanitarian crises in Gaza. The United Nations reported that over 69% of buildings in Gaza were either destroyed or damaged, with a substantial portion of the population displaced and facing hunger. As this tension between Israel and Hamas reaches a delicate balance with the ongoing ceasefire, the truce was highlighted by Hamas releasing 25 living hostages, as well as eight bodies of hostages from an earlier attack on October 7, 2023. In response, Israel confirmed the transfer of 643 Palestinian prisoners, including Barghouti, under the terms of the agreement, affecting numerous lives on both sides. Barghouti had a complicated history prior to his release, including a previous release in 2011 during an exchange for an Israeli soldier kidnapped by Hamas. Following his earlier release, he was placed under house arrest in Kubar, located in the occupied West Bank, but was subsequently arrested again in 2014. Notably, Barghouti's allegiance shifted from Fatah to Hamas while incarcerated, reflecting deeper political divisions within the Palestinian leadership and complicating future negotiations between parties moving forward.