The Israeli occupation on Monday released Fouad Al–Shobaki, known as the “Sheikh of Prisoners“, after 17 years of imprisonment.

The Palestinian Commission for Detainees and Ex–Detainees Affairs said that Fouad Al–Shobaki was freed by the Israeli occupation and sent to the Tarqumia crossing in the western part of Hebron.

The family of Al–Shobaki and several Palestinians celebrated the liberation of Al-Shobaki“, chanting in honor of his determination and devotion.

Shobaki, a Palestinian born in Gaza on March 12, 1940, had close ties with the late President Yasser Arafat, and was part of the Revolutionary Council and the Supreme Military Council of Fatah‘s Palestinian Revolution.

Since 2006, Al–Shobaki has been battling multiple illnesses, including prostate cancer, as he aged 83. Despite suffering from high blood pressure, eye, stomach and heart issues, the occupation denied his petition to be released after serving two–thirds of his sentence.