Qadura Fares: Israel is living in a state of frustration and failure, and the scenes of receiving the released prisoners embarrass it and expose its lies

Issa Qaraqe: Preventing celebrations of prisoners’ release reflects Israeli racism, hatred and fascism towards detainees and the Palestinian people

Hassan Abd Rabbo: The occupation seeks to steal the joy of the Palestinians and prevent the manifestations of celebration of the liberation of their prisoners to confirm that it has the highest authority

Dr. Ahmed Rafiq Awad: The difference between the image of those released from Hamas captivity and those released from Ben Gvir’s dungeons is a matter of moral and cultural elevation

Shurahbil Al-Gharib: Targeting the demonstrations of the release of prisoners aims to spoil the joy of the families over the release of their sons from the occupation’s prisons

Ismat Mansour: Israel does not want to give the Palestinian people moments of joy or a sense of accomplishment for fear of strengthening the spirit of resistance

The restrictions and punitive measures imposed by the occupation authorities on the manifestations of the Palestinian people’s celebration of the release of many of their prisoners under the exchange deal that is being implemented in stages and batches between Israel and the Palestinian resistance are not new, and are not only related to the post-October 7th period.

These practices carry, on the one hand, racist connotations, as the occupying state forbids the Palestinians from expressing their joy at the release of their sons from the darkness and prisons in which some of them have spent more than forty years, and on the other hand, a sense of defeat, because it was forced to release these people from its prisons, and it is the one that has handed down sentences against many of them that sometimes reach more than a thousand years, with all the illogicality in these sentences, in order to detain the bodies of even those who spend their time in prisons to complete their sentences in its refrigerators.

Writers and analysts who spoke to “I” saw that preventing celebrations of the release of prisoners reflects Israeli racism, hatred and fascism towards detainees and the Palestinian people, and that targeting the manifestations of the release of prisoners aims to spoil the joy of families over the release of their sons from the occupation’s prisons.

Israel seeks to sow despair and frustration in the hearts of the Palestinians

The head of the Prisoners and Freed Prisoners Affairs Authority, Qadura Fares, said that Israel always seeks to sow despair and frustration in the souls of the Palestinian people, pointing out that the scenes of receiving the freed prisoners embarrass the Israeli government and expose its lies, especially during the war of genocide.

He explained that Israel always seeks to sow despair and frustration in the souls of the Palestinian people, and therefore it is angry and disturbed to see these manifestations during the exchange process, because that embarrasses the government and the army, which told Israel many lies during the period of the genocidal war.

Fares added: "Israel is living in a state of frustration and failure, which is what is pushing it to take tense positions and obstruct the implementation of the agreements."

He also pointed out the huge difference between the health status of the released Palestinian prisoners, who are released in poor health, and the Israeli prisoners who receive humane treatment, which reflects the moral superiority of the Palestinians in dealing with prisoners compared to the occupation policies.

Moral superiority of the Palestinians over the occupiers

He said: If the enemy prisoners had come out of the war in a difficult condition, perhaps everyone would have understood that, considering that they were in the tunnels, suffocating, and in difficult conditions under a barrage of shelling. But the opposite is happening, and this confirms our moral superiority as Palestinians over them.

Regarding the fourth batch that took place yesterday, Fares explained that it is “part of the first phase, and despite the obstacles that Israel is putting in place, its continued implementation is a positive thing, as receiving successive batches of Palestinian prisoners enhances the hope of releasing more, and paves the way for the second phase of the agreement.”

He said: “For us, these are our children, and receiving successive batches of them brings joy and happiness, and we hope that all the terms of the agreement will be fully implemented, which will enhance our readiness to start the second phase. Success in the first phase is a contributing factor in completing the negotiations regarding the second phase.”

Regarding the Palestinian leaders Marwan Barghouti and Ahmed Saadat, Fares confirmed that "they were supposed to be released in the first stage, but Israel deliberately obstructed that, which made their fate linked to the negotiations of the second stage."

The Red Cross is required to intervene to reduce the occupation's violations

For his part, the former Minister of Prisoners, Issa Qaraqe, said that the occupation's prevention of celebrations and the joy of the prisoners and their families after their release in the last batches is evidence of "the extent of Zionist hatred and brutality" that appears in its treatment of the detainees.

He added: "This behavior is evident both before and after their release, as prisoners are exposed to harsh and difficult conditions, and their families are persecuted after their release.

Qaraqe stressed that this behavior reflects the racism, hatred and fascism adopted by the Israeli authorities towards detainees and the Palestinian people.

He added: The world must compare Israel's treatment of Israeli prisoners who are released in Gaza in a "moral and respectful" manner, and who come out in good health, with the brutal treatment of Palestinian prisoners, who are beaten until the last moment of release and suffer from deteriorating health as a result of torture and starvation.

He continued: Most Palestinian prisoners are admitted to hospitals after their release due to health damages caused by beatings and starvation, noting that the Israeli claims regarding respect for human rights are "false claims" and have no basis in truth.

He said: "The prisoners are the best witness to the extent of racism and oppression to which they are subjected.

Qaraqe' pointed out the role of the International Red Cross as a mediator in the prisoner handover process, calling on it to intervene effectively to reduce the occupation's violations against Palestinian prisoners. He referred to the testimonies of prisoners who spoke of harsh conditions, including being shackled, beaten and threatened during the transfer, despite the existence of international agreements and an international mediator.

The scene of the released prisoners is painful and harsh and reflects Israeli criminality

In turn, the specialist in prisoners' affairs, Hassan Abd Rabbo, said that the scene of the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli occupation prisons is a painful, harsh and very difficult scene, and indicates the nature of the inhumane and degrading treatment, and the Israeli crimes that have been practiced against prisoners over the course of decades, and the horror of these crimes has increased since October 2023.

He added: The bodies and faces of the released prisoners show signs of exhaustion, fatigue and extreme stress, in addition to cases of emaciation, as well as the violation of their dignity by shaving their heads. In addition to the beatings, physical assaults and humiliation until the last moments before they board the Red Cross buses.

Abdul Rabbo stressed that the prisoners are being threatened and intimidated by Israeli intelligence officers, in addition to continuous warnings, and this is accompanied by other measures against their families to prevent any manifestations of joy over their release, despite the heavy price paid by the Palestinian people, who have offered more than 55,000 martyrs, more than 120,000 wounded, and tens of thousands of homes, facilities, schools, buildings, universities, and institutions that were destroyed by the occupation in its aggression and genocide.

Abdul Rabbo pointed out that the Israeli occupation aims through all of this to steal the joy and prevent any manifestation of Palestinian celebration, to confirm that it has the highest authority in these lands, and that it can prevent any celebration by force through threats, arrests, raids, attacks, shooting and tear gas bombs.

Israeli prisoners appeared in good health

He said: Despite all these measures, the state of appreciation, honor, and pride in the steadfastness of the prisoners and the joy of their release remain present, even if public appearances have declined as a result of the threats and retaliatory measures practiced by the occupation.

Abdul Rabbo pointed to the condition of the prisoners who are released by the Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip, as they appear to be in good health, which reflects the humane treatment they received, as they are treated based on values, ethics and humanity that greatly surpass the behavior of the Israeli occupation.

He stressed that since October 2023, Israel has deliberately escalated arbitrary measures against Palestinian prisoners, with direct instructions from the Israeli political level, embodied by the extremist Itamar Ben Gvir, by opening underground sections, encouraging those who tortured and killed prisoners, and even committed sexual assaults against them. It also provided them with legal and political protection from any legal prosecution.

Abdul Rabbo concluded by stressing that these scenes require the Palestinian negotiator, through mediators, to seriously consider them, in light of the ongoing crimes against the prisoners who are to be released, and the necessity of imposing obligations on the Israeli occupation within the exchange and negotiation process, in a way that ensures the application of international humanitarian law and the Third and Fourth Geneva Conventions in dealing with Palestinian prisoners.

The occupation prevented the celebration of its liberators due to racist reasons.

For his part, Dr. Ahmed Rafiq Awad, head of the Center for Future Studies at Al-Quds University, said that Israel targets the celebration of the liberators because it believes that the liberators should not be celebrated because, in its opinion, they are responsible for blood and “deaths.” Therefore, it is practically seeking to reduce the manifestations of joy because it believes that these people do not deserve to be celebrated.

He added: It also does not want to compare a Palestinian freedman with an Israeli prisoner, as there is a real distinction between the two parties in terms of people, blood and cultures. Unfortunately, this is rooted in Israeli thought, as there should be no equality between the two parties.

Awad said that when the International Criminal Court was attacked by Israel, one of the criticisms of it by Israel was that it equated Israel with Hamas, that is, between Israelis and Palestinians. Israel rejects this equating and completely prevents it.

On the other hand, he added, Israel fights manifestations of celebration because it has nothing in its culture that matches Palestinian joy. Israel is not good at celebrating, and therefore believes that others should not do so. As for manifestations of joy, in its view, they carry signs of victory, invincibility, willpower, and a desire to continue, all of which mean not surrendering, in addition to carrying feelings of intimacy, warmth, and a collective spirit. All of this, according to Awad, Israel seeks to completely prevent.

The release of prisoners is a victory over the Israeli regime

Awad pointed out that the released prisoner is not just someone who has been released from prison, but rather someone who has broken the Israeli security and judicial system. His release is not merely the end of his sentence, but rather a victory over the Israeli regime, because it is taking place against the will of the Israeli security and judicial system. This affects Israel’s prestige and power, which makes the joy resulting from the release of the released prisoners, in Israel’s view, a mockery of these security, military and judicial systems.

Awad pointed out that Israel's ban on the wedding is in fact a form of revenge and collective punishment, as banning the wedding is considered personal revenge, which is strange and difficult to imagine from a state that is a huge and powerful political entity. "But it is clear that this wedding really affects the prestige and existence of Israel."

He pointed out that the difference between the image of those released from Hamas captivity and those released from Ben Gvir's dungeons is a matter of moral and cultural elevation and the nature of the work carried out by each party. Therefore, we see the Israeli prisoner released without signs of torture or emaciation, but rather in a state of great familiarity with his family and a certain language, unlike the Palestinian prisoner who comes out to talk about his suffering from torture, illness and fatigue.

Awad said: “Despite the suffering, bombing and destruction that the Palestinian was subjected to, he kept the Israeli prisoner as he should, because he believes that this act is part of his values, culture and religion. Unlike the Israeli jailer who believes that the more he tortures the Palestinian prisoner, the more he can break him.”

Spoiling the families of prisoners and breaking their joy

In turn, writer and political analyst Shurahbil al-Gharib said that targeting the manifestations of the release of prisoners aims to spoil the joy of the families over the release and liberation of their sons from the occupation prisons, despite the fact that these releases come within the framework of a deal in which Israel pays a large bill, by releasing prisoners sentenced to life, which it had clearly insisted that it would not release. Today, this equation is reversed and they are being released as part of a prisoner exchange deal.

Al-Gharib added: The aim of these measures is to spoil the lives of the prisoners' families and ruin their joy in any way possible, by preventing all festive manifestations.

He pointed out the clear difference between what comes out of Ben Gvir's prisons and what comes out of the resistance prisons in Gaza, where the occupation treats Palestinian prisoners brutally, using torture methods that exceed all laws and customs that preserve the dignity of the prisoner.

Al-Gharib explained that the resistance views the issue of prisoners as a national issue that requires great effort, stressing that everyone who falls prisoner in the hands of the resistance is treated according to the teachings of Islam, far from insult, regardless of his religion or identity.

Al-Gharib concluded his speech by saying: “This treatment reflects the true face of the resistance, and refutes attempts to distort its image, as prisoners are treated with humane and ethical mechanisms, reflecting purity of hand, firmness of position, and clarity of goals, stressing that the main goal of the capture operations is to liberate Palestinian prisoners, far from any misleading claims and distortion of the image of the resistance after October 7.”

Israel suppresses Palestinian prisoner release celebrations to compensate for deal failure

Israel punishes Palestinians for coercion

Journalist and expert on Israeli affairs Ismat Mansour said that Israel seeks to obscure the clear difference between the conditions of releasing Palestinian prisoners and their Israeli counterparts, as the Palestinians are subjected to abuse until the last moment before their release, while the Israeli prisoners are released in good health despite the difficult conditions in Gaza.

Mansour explained that the Palestinian prisoners appear exhausted and tired, showing signs of emaciation and fatigue as a result of torture, malnutrition and lack of exposure to the sun, while the Israeli prisoners are treated with respect, protection and safety, which reflects the difference in culture and psychology between the two parties.

He pointed out that Israel is trying to suppress Palestinian celebrations of the release of prisoners, as it does not want to give the Palestinian people moments of joy or a sense of accomplishment, for fear of strengthening the spirit of resistance and rejection of the occupation.

He added that the Israeli government was forced to go ahead with the deal due to the balance of power on the ground, the presence of prisoners held by the resistance that it was unable to reach, and American pressure.

Mansour stressed that Israel, in an attempt to compensate for what he described as "the coercion that was exercised on it," resorts to punishing the Palestinians by suppressing any celebrations of the release of prisoners, considering this part of its ongoing attempts to obliterate the will of the Palestinian people and prevent them from expressing their joy at their national victories.