Palestinian Israa Jaabis arrives home after her release from Israeli jail

By Said Amouri

JERUSALEM (AA) - Palestinian detainee Israa Jaabis arrived home in occupied East Jerusalem after her release from Israeli jail, the Jerusalem-based Wadi Hilweh Information Center said Sunday.

It added that before her release, Israeli police imposed several restrictions, including no celebrations on her release and the evacuation of all journalists from her home to not cover the first moments of her release.

Jaabis spent seven years in an Israeli jail on an 11-year sentence.

On Oct. 11, 2015, Jaabis, 31, was en route to her home in Jerusalem when a gas cylinder in her car exploded, and the car caught fire. She suffered third-degree burns which charred 60% of her body, including her face and hands.

Israeli authorities accused Jaabis of wanting to carry out a "terror" attack, a charge she denies.

Jaabis was on the list of 39 Palestinian women and children scheduled to be released from Israeli jails as part of a second batch of a prisoner swap deal with Palestinian resistance group, Hamas.

Israel and Hamas swapped 24 Israelis and foreigners for 39 Palestinians from Israeli jails on Friday, the first day of the four-day humanitarian pause. The second batch of prisoners is almost complete after the release of 17 Israelis and foreigners earlier Saturday.

Under the agreement, the hostages and prisoners will be released in batches during the course of four days.

Israel launched a massive military campaign in the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.
It has since killed at least 14,854 Palestinians, including 6,150 children and over 4,000 women, according to health authorities in the enclave.

The official Israeli death toll stands at 1,200.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar