DaysofPal – Thirty-five Palestinian prisoners, known as “deans of prisoners” for their extended incarceration, were released today as part of the sixth phase of the first stage of the “Flood of Freedom” prisoner exchange deal, according to Riyad Al-Ashqar, director of the Palestine Center for Prisoner Studies.
With this latest release, the total number of long-term prisoners freed under the agreement has reached 235. Each of them had spent more than 20 years behind bars, with the majority serving life sentences.
Al-Ashqar highlighted that among those freed today is Rassem Fareed Hussein from Tulkarm, the longest-serving prisoner in this batch. Arrested in November 2001, Hussein spent 24 years in Israeli prisons under a life sentence.
The release also included Mansour Mohammed Moqadeh from Salfit, one of the most severe medical cases in Israeli prisons. Moqadeh has been incarcerated for 23 years and was severely wounded at the time of his arrest in 2002.
He suffered four gunshot wounds, one of which lodged in his spine, causing partial paralysis, while another severely damaged his intestines and digestive system.
Confined to a wheelchair and dependent on colostomy bags, Moqadeh endured years of medical neglect in prison. As part of his release, he will be forcibly deported.
Additionally, three brothers from Dheisheh Refugee Camp—Mousa, Khalil, and Ibrahim Ahmed Salem Sarhana—were released today. The three siblings had been imprisoned since 2002 and were serving life sentences.
Before the deal, Israel held 543 long-term prisoners classified as “deans of prisoners.” With today’s release, 308 remain behind bars.
More releases are expected in the coming months as part of the ongoing exchange, with Palestinian resistance groups prioritizing these prisoners for future phases of the deal.
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