Israel rearrests 11 Palestinians freed in prisoner swap deal

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – Israeli forces rearrested 11 Palestinians who were freed as part of a hostage swap deal between Hamas and Israel in November, according to a Palestinian spokesperson on Tuesday.

The 11 Palestinians were taken into Israeli custody in the occupied West Bank, Amani Sarahneh, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Prisoner Society, told Anadolu.

She said two were later released, while nine others remained in detention.

According to the spokesperson, Hanan al-Barghouti, a sister of the longest-serving Palestinian detainee in Israel, Nael al-Barghouti, was among the detainees.

A previous deal in November 2023 saw the release of 81 Israelis and 24 foreigners in exchange for 240 Palestinians, including 71 women and 169 children.

Israel has launched a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack, which Tel Aviv said killed less than 1,200 people.

More than 30,600 Palestinians have since been killed and over 72,000 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli onslaught has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio