‘Israel’ excludes top Palestinian leaders from historic prisoner exchange deal

Despite reaching a historic prisoner exchange agreement, ‘Israel’ has excluded several prominent Palestinian political figures from the final release lists, including Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) Secretary-General Ahmad Sa’adat.

The exclusion of these high-profile detainees reveals the “red lines” imposed by ‘Israel’ during the negotiations and highlights that the issue of senior political prisoners remains one of the most sensitive and complex files in any future settlement.

Preparations underway for implementation

The revelation of the excluded names comes as ‘Israeli’ prison authorities began logistical preparations on Saturday for carrying out the deal. According to ‘Israeli’ public broadcasting, Palestinian prisoners set for release have been transferred to Ketziot and Ofer prisons ahead of their expected release.

Under the terms of the agreement, ‘Israel’ is expected to release 250 detainees serving long sentences, along with 1,700 others detained since October 7, 2023, in exchange for 20 live detainees to be released by Hamas in a single batch.

Who was excluded from the deal?

Multiple sources confirmed that ‘Israel’ firmly rejected the release of several senior prisoners requested by Hamas. Among the most notable are four key figures in the Palestinian struggle:

• Marwan Barghouti: Senior Fatah leader, imprisoned since 2002, serving five life sentences.
• Ahmad Sa’adat: Secretary-General of the PFLP, serving a 30-year sentence.
• Hassan Salameh: Senior commander in Al-Qassam Brigades, serving 48 life sentences (1,175 years).
• Abbas Al-Sayed: Political and military leader in Hamas, serving 35 life sentences.

The list also reportedly includes Hakeem Awad and Mahmoud Attallah, in addition to two prominent medical figures detained during the war - Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya, Director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, and Dr. Marwan Al-Hams, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health - whose arrests drew widespread international condemnation.

A political card for the future

Politically, the exclusion of these figures represents a major concession by Hamas and underscores that their release has long been a sticking point in negotiations over the past two years.

‘Israel’s’ insistence on keeping them imprisoned reflects its determination to deny Palestinian factions a significant political and moral victory that could stem from the release of such high-profile leaders.

An incomplete deal toward fragile peace

While the technical steps toward implementing the agreement continue, many Palestinians view the exclusion of these symbolic leaders as making it an “incomplete deal.”

Their continued imprisonment remains closely tied to any future discussion of a final settlement, underscoring that the path toward a comprehensive and lasting peace remains long and uncertain.