Israel Excludes Marwan Barghouti from Prisoner Exchange Deal
Netanyahu’s Office Confirms Partial Gaza Withdrawal; Mediators Push to Expand the Agreement
Palestine, PUREWILAYAH.COM — The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that imprisoned Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti will not be released as part of the upcoming prisoner exchange deal.
The statement came during a briefing to Israeli media amid reports that mediators are pressing Washington to urge Tel Aviv to reconsider its position.
Netanyahu’s Office Confirms Exclusion of Barghouti
Netanyahu’s office stressed that Barghouti will not be included among the Palestinian prisoners set for release under the agreement.
Meanwhile, informed sources revealed that negotiators in Sharm el-Sheikh have begun discussions on the lists of Palestinian prisoners expected to be freed.
According to the statement, the final draft of the agreement was signed in Egypt today, and the Israeli army will remain stationed in approximately 53% of the Gaza Strip’s territory after the completion of the prisoner release process.
Israel Rejects Hamas’ Request to Include Barghouti
As reported by Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Israeli authorities have rejected Hamas’ request to include the senior Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti in the exchange lists, despite the Israeli security team involved in earlier rounds of negotiations having expressed initial approval for his inclusion.
The report added that Qatari efforts, backed by the United States, are underway to convince Israel to reinstate Barghouti’s name on the list, as Hamas insists on its position. Mediators are reportedly working to broaden the scope of the deal to include figures from multiple Palestinian factions.
High-Profile Prisoners Under Discussion
According to informed sources, the current list includes Ahmad Sa’adat, Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), as well as senior Hamas leaders Hassan Salameh and Ibrahim Hamed.
Intense negotiations are ongoing over the inclusion of Abbas al-Sayyid and Abdullah Barghouti, known as the “Prince of the Shadows,” both of whom Israel continues to refuse to release.
Technical discussions have also addressed the fate of elite members of the Al-Qassam Brigades who were captured during Operation Al-Aqsa Storm on October 7, 2023, with Israel taking an especially hardline stance on this issue.
About the Prisoner Lists and Sentences
According to available information, the Palestinian side’s lists contain around 300 prisoners serving life or long-term sentences, whom Hamas seeks to free under the first phase of the agreement currently being negotiated.
Marwan Barghouti, a senior Fatah leader, is serving five life sentences plus an additional 40 years. Ibrahim Hamed, the former commander of Hamas’ military wing in the West Bank, is serving 54 life sentences after being convicted of killing 46 Israelis.
Ahmad Sa’adat, the PFLP Secretary-General, is serving a 30-year prison term since his arrest in 2006 following the assassination of Israeli Minister Rehavam Ze’evi. (PW)