From freedom tunnels to swap deal: Palestinian prisoner Mohammed al-Arida freed

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - In September 2021, freed Palestinian prisoner Mohammed Al-Arida managed to escape detention along with five inmates through a tunnel they dug beneath the high-security Gilboa prison in northern Israel.

He was re-arrested, however, days later that same month.

With his name among the list of 200 Palestinian prisoners released Saturday as part of the second batch of a prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel, Al-Arida is again breathing the air of freedom.

Before his release, Al-Arida was serving a sentence of three life terms with an additional 20 years.

-Arrests

Mohammed Qassem Ahmed Al-Arida was born Sept. 3, 1982, in the town of Arraba, in southern Jenin in the northern occupied West Bank. He completed his primary, middle and high school education in Arraba’s schools.

Israeli forces arrested him May 16, 2002, after besieging a building where he was hiding in Ramallah in the central West Bank.

He was sentenced to three life terms and 20 additional years on charges of belonging to and being a member of the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad Movement, and participating in resistance operations against the Israeli occupation.

Al-Arida served his sentence at the Shatta Prison in the occupied Jordan Valley near the city of Beesan in the central West Bank.

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-Two escape attempts

After Shatta Prison authorities discovered a tunnel prepared for escape, Al-Arida was placed in solitary confinement for a year in 2014.

Later, he was transferred to Gilboa Prison, where he successfully escaped Sept. 6, 2021, along with Ayham Kamamji, Mahmoud Al-Arida, Munadel Infai'at, Yaqoub Qadri and Zakaria Zubeidi. Israeli forces re-arrested him Sept. 11.

Following his re-arrest, Israel subjected him to solitary confinement and continuous mistreatment. An Israeli court also issued an additional five-year sentence against him.

A second batch of 200 Palestinian prisoners was released Saturday under a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and prisoner exchange agreement between Hamas and Israel.

Televised footage showed the arrival of 114 prisoners in the West Bank city of Ramallah from the Ofer Military Prison aboard three International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) buses.

The prisoners were welcomed by thousands of Palestinians who gathered to celebrate their release, according to an Anadolu reporter.

Sixteen prisoners, accompanied by Red Cross representatives, also arrived at the European Hospital in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, to the warm welcome of thousands.

Egypt’s state-affiliated Al-Qahera News channel also reported that two buses carrying 70 freed Palestinian prisoners arrived in Egypt under the Gaza agreement.

The Prisoners’ Media Office said early Saturday that the freed prisoners include 121 who had been serving life sentences and 79 with lengthy sentences.

It added that 70 of those serving life sentences will be sent outside Palestinian territories.

According to the statement, the freed prisoners include 137 from the Palestinian resistance, group Hamas, 26 from the Fatah group, 29 from Islamic Jihad, three from the Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and one from the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, in addition to four others without any party affiliation.

Under the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire, Israel is now set to withdraw from the Netzarim Corridor area that separates northern Gaza from its south, allowing displaced Palestinians to return to the north.

The first six-week phase of the ceasefire agreement took effect Jan. 19, suspending Israel’s genocidal war that has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and injured more than 111,000 since Oct. 7, 2023.

On day one of the deal, Israel released 90 Palestinian detainees in return for three Israeli captives set free by Hamas.

The three-phase ceasefire agreement includes a prisoner exchange and sustained calm, aiming for a permanent truce and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

The Israeli onslaught has left more than 11,000 people missing, with widespread destruction and a humanitarian crisis that has claimed the lives of untold numbers of elderly people, women, and children.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala