Gaza, MINA — Israel has refused to release six prominent Palestinian political and resistance leaders, described by Israeli officials as “key bargaining cards,” under the prisoner exchange deal included in US President Donald Trump’s proposed Gaza ceasefire plan, Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported Friday.
According to the report, Israel imposed a “total veto” on the release of the six high-profile prisoners, despite Hamas insisting on their inclusion in the first phase of the exchange, which is expected to free 250 Palestinians serving life sentences and 1,700 detainees from Gaza.
The six detainees are Marwan Barghouti, senior Fatah figure and potential successor to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, serving five life sentences plus 40 years for allegedly directing deadly attacks during the Second Intifada.
Ahmad Sa’adat, Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), serving a 30-year term for allegedly ordering the 2001 assassination of Israeli minister Rehavam Ze’evi.
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Abbas al-Sayyid, Hamas’ al-Qassam Brigades commander, serving 35 life terms for organizing the 2002 Park Hotel bombing in Netanya.
Ibrahim Hamed, Hamas’s former military commander in the West Bank, sentenced to 54 life terms for planning several major attacks.
Abdullah Barghouti, Hamas’s chief bomb maker, accused of carrying out operations that killed 66 Israelis and injured hundreds more.
Hassan Salameh, among the founders of the Qassam Brigades, serving 46 life sentences for orchestrating the 1996 bus bombings that killed 45 Israelis.
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Israeli officials reportedly consider the six men “too significant” to be freed under any agreement, fearing their release would boost Palestinian political influence and resistance coordination in the occupied territories.
Hamas officials have said their release remains a “non-negotiable demand,” with sources confirming that the group is prioritizing the issue in ongoing ceasefire and prisoner swap negotiations mediated by Egypt and Qatar.[]
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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