Of the 369 Palestinian prisoners released Saturday, 36 were serving life sentences for murder.
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
The 369 Palestinian prisoners released in exchange for three hostages on Saturday were made to wear sweatshirts with a Star of David on the back, alongside the phrase “We will not forget nor forgive” in Arabic.
These prisoners were freed in exchange for Sagui Dekel Chen, Alexander Sasha Troufanov, and Iair Horn, who had been held in Gaza for 498 days.
Of the 369 Palestinian prisoners, 36 were serving life sentences for murder.
One source criticized Israel’s prison service (IPS) to KAN News for making the decision to have the prisoners wear the sweatshirts, pointing out that the political echelon had not been informed, and the action projected a negative image at a time when Israel is condemning Hamas’s cynical tactics to cause embarrassment and psychological harm to hostages, such as releasing them with medals, ceremonies, and “goody bags.”
The IPS clarified that the decision was made by IPS Commissioner Kobi Yaakovi, according to KAN.
Hamas condemned the shirts, calling the slogans written on them “racist” and referring to the treatment of prisoners as a violation of humanitarian law, in contrast to the resistance’s strong commitment to moral values in the treatment of the enemy’s prisoners.
Among the prisoners released on Saturday was Ahmed Barghouti, cousin and aide to intifada terrorist Marwan Barghouti, who was directly involved in attacks that killed 12 Israelis.
Another released prisoner was Fatah terrorist Mazen al-Qadi, who planned a 2002 attack on a seafood restaurant in Tel Aviv that killed three Israelis. Qadi was also suspected of sexually assaulting five female guards at Ramon Prison in 2023.
Mantzur Sharim, serving 14 life sentences plus an additional 50 years, was also released. During the Second Intifada, he attacked a banquet hall in Hadera, killing six Israelis and injuring 26. Sharim also murdered a soldier and a civilian in 2001.
The post 369 Palestinian prisoners freed, forced to wear sweatshirts with message from Israel appeared first on World Israel News.