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During the ceasefire, 150 Palestinian prisoners have been released from Israel in exchange for Hamas hostages.
Many of them are imprisoned without knowing what – several of them are women and children.
But at the same time as prisoners are released, Israel arrests more Palestinians.
50 hostages taken by Hamas against 150 Palestinian prisoners. That many have so far been exchanged during the ceasefire.
Before the exchange, Israel released a list of 300 prisoners who could be released in exchange for Hamas hostages.
Many of the prisoners have been accused of throwing stones and of “damaging regional security”. Others are accused of, for example, supporting illegal terrorist organizations or possessing weapons.
The organization Defense for Children International has said that 500–700 children are detained annually. Most were suspected of throwing stones.
Some of them are members of Hamas and other Islamist military groups. But for many there is no indication that these connections, reports CNN.
Thousands imprisoned without charge
How many Palestinians are imprisoned in Israel is unknown. The numbers vary between about 7,000 and 10,000. According to the Palestinian organization “Palestinian Prisoners Society”, it is about 7,200 people, reports The Guardian.
The data on how many of those imprisoned are women and children also varies. According to The Guardian, there are 88 women and 250 children under the age of 18.
Qadura Fares, head of the Palestinian Commission for Former Prisoners, believes that it is about 8,300 prisoners.
Fares speaks up CNN that over 3,000 of them are so-called “administrative detainees”. They are detained without having received a trial and without knowing what they are suspected of.
Even more have been captured
Since Hamas carried out the terrorist attack on October 7, Palestinians have continued to be arrested. According to the “Palestinian Prisoners Society”, over 2000 Palestinians have been arrested since then, reports AP.
The Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh believes that this has been part of Israel’s tactics.
– Israel has prepared for a prisoner exchange and they are arresting as many people as they can before such a deal, he has previously told Reuters.
While the 150 Palestinians have been released, the arrests have continued. According to the Palestinian prison organization, 168 Palestinians have been arrested since Friday, write Al Jazeera.