As of last night, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, along with the mediators on both sides, had signed off on the list of Palestinian political prisoners that Israel was to release, and Marwan Barghouti’s name was on that list. This is reported by Middle East Eye, citing a “source close to Barghouti and his family.” However, they said that the Israeli prime minister’s office unilaterally removed Marwan Barghouti’s name from the prisoner exchange list at the last minute, endangering the Gaza ceasefire deal’s implementation.
Point 5f of the 6-point “Implementation Steps for President Trump’s Proposal for a ‘Comprehensive End of Gaza War,’” signed on Oct. 8 by both sides, stated: “As Hamas releases all the hostages, Israel will release in parallel the corresponding number of Palestinian prisoners as per the attached lists.” Barghouti was on that list, approved of by, among others, Witkoff.
Today, the phrase employed by an Israeli government spokesperson was “at this point in time that he will not be part of this release.”
“As Hamas releases all the hostages, Israel will release in parallel the corresponding number of Palestinian prisoners as per the attached lists.”
MEE goes on to report that they understand that “Ahmed Saadat, a leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Hassan Salama, a senior Hamas official, and Abdullah Barghouti, a Hamas leader not related to Marwan, also had their names removed from the list.” If this is the case, it could disrupt the agreement. Otherwise, they also understand that Marwan Barghouti’s wife “remains in Cairo lobbying negotiators to ensure her husband is included in the prisoner exchange.”
Polls indicate that Barghouti would easily win a Palestinian presidency. MEE cited sources who said Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Major General Hassan Mahmoud Rashad, the director of Egypt’s General Intelligence Services, personally interceded to push for his release.
Barghouti has been imprisoned since 2003 and was put into isolation for the last two years. However, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was allowed to visit Barghouti in August, where he gloated over the prisoner. The well-fed provocateur had no trouble issuing a threat to his helpless prisoner: “Whoever messes with the people of Israel, whoever murders our children, whoever murders our women, we will obliterate them. You will not defeat us.”
