In order to bring both living and deceased hostages home, Israel will again pay a very steep price. According to Israel’s Justice Ministry, Israel will release 250 terrorists currently serving life sentences, in addition to 1,722 Gazans arrested since, but not because of, the October 7th attack. Of the 250 terrorists, 63 are Hamas operatives, 159 are Fatah operatives, and the remainder are soldiers of the Islamic State, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PLFP), or of no affiliation.
It remains to be seen to what extent these terrorists will return to fight Israel once again.
Of the 250, 135 will be deported to Gaza or another location, while 100 will be sent to Judea and Samaria and 15 will be released to eastern Jerusalem. Additionally, Israel has pledged to return the bodies of 360 Gazan terrorists.
All of this will occur after Hamas releases 20 living hostages, 26 deceased hostages, and two hostages “whose lives there is grave concern.”
This comes as Hamas has stated that it is encountering “very great complexity” in locating all the deceased hostages, and that it will need over 72 hours to find their corpses, which would violate the 48 hour timeframe allotted to return them under the ceasefire agreement. As of this writing, 10 bodies of hostages are reported to be missing.
The following are just some of the terrorists who are expected to be released this week.
Iyad Abu al Rub of the PIJ was PIJ’s commander in Jenin, Samaria, and also led the PIJ’s armed wing, Saraya al-Quds. He helped to orchestrate the Shdei Terumot grocery store homicide bombing attack in the Jordan River Valley in 2003, which killed one Israeli in addition to the bomber; the 2004 Stage Nightclub homicide bombing in Tel Aviv which killed five people in addition to the bomber and injured over 50 more; and the 2005 Hadera market homicide bombing attack which killed seven Israelis in addition to the bomber, and wounded 55.
Halil Abu Aram of Fatah murdered an Israeli couple in 2002.
Mohammad Nasser Sha’aban Abu Rabea of Hamas is serving a life sentence for stabbing two Israelis in 2015.
Mohammed Abu Shahin of Fatah is serving two life sentences for a 2015 murder.
Mohammad Abu Tbeikh of the PIJ is serving two life sentences plus 15 years for orchestrating the PIJ’s terrorism against Israel in Jenin. He worked in the PIJ’s armed wing, Saraya al Quds, made explosive devices for them, and fought the IDF in 2002’s Battle of Jenin.
Morad Bader Abdullah Adais, then 16 year old, stabbed a mother of six to death in 2016.
Bilal Ajarmeh of Fatah is serving two life terms plus 20 years for murdering Israelis, killing two “collaborators” and participating in 17 shooting attacks along Route 60.
Ibrahim Alakam of the PLFP is serving two life sentences for murdering an Israeli couple in 1996.
Anas Alan of Fatah orchestrated the 2006 homicide bombing in Kedumim, Samaria which killed three.
Riyad al Ammour of Fatah is serving 11 life sentences for the murder of 9 Israelis during the Second Intifada. He was also found guilty of murdering three alleged “collaborators.” He specifically served in Fatah’s “Tanzim” terrorist organization, led by Marwan Barghouti.
Baher Badr of Hamas is currently serving 11 life sentences for the 2003 attack on Israel’s Tzifirin base in central Israel that killed nine IDF soldiers. His brother helped plan the attack.
Fares Ganam of Fatah murdered 8 Israelis.
Mohammed Hamami of Fatah orchestrated the 2005 Carmel Market homicide bombing attack which killed three.
Ismail Hamdan of Fatah was convicted for kidnapping and shooting an Israeli in 2002.
Haitham Hamdan of Fatah is serving three life sentences for orchestrating a 2001 shooting attack on Highway 443 which killed three.
Mahmoud Issa of Hamas is serving three life terms plus 40 years for his role in kidnapping and killing an IDF Sargent in 1992 near Lod, Israel. Issa served as a commander of Hamas’ Al Qassam Brigades, and also established the Brigades’ Special Unit 101, an elite unit whose goal was to kidnap IDF soldiers.
Rami Nour of Fatah is serving two life sentences for murdering a police officer at the Neve Yaakov bus stop in Jerusalem in 2002.
Ahmad Ismail Ahmad Qawasmeh of Hamas is serving a life sentence for murdering a rabbi in 2018.
Imad Qawasmeh of Hamas is serving 16 life sentences for orchestrating a double homicide bombing that killed 16 in 2004.
Mahmoud Qawasmeh of Hamas was, upon release due to a 2011 prisoner exchange, reportedly orchestrated the kidnap and murder of three Israeli teenagers in 2014 in the West Bank.
Jihad Roum of Fatah’s Tanzim is serving life in prison plus twenty years for the murder of one Israeli in Ramallah in 2001, whose body showed “signs of abuse.”
Ra’ad Sheikh of Fatah was one of the Palestinian Authority police officers that participated in the infamous 2000 Ramallah lynching of two Israeli reserve officers. Celebrities (either wittingly or unwittingly) celebrate this lynching by wearing red hand pins on their clothes.
Amin Shuqeirat of Palestinian Islamic Jihad is serving two life terms for the murder of two security guards at a construction site.
The above list shows that Israel is so committed to bring its hostages home that it is prepared to release heinous terrorists from serving life sentences. It remains to be seen to what extent these terrorists will return to fight Israel once again, like Yahya Sinwar and Samir Kuntar demonstrated. Hopefully Israel will be able to maintain significant territory concessions in Gaza as well as other security guarantees to make sure that an attack like October 7 never happens again.
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