"Most of the Palestinians released by Israel had been arrested in Gaza on suspicion of taking part in hostilities during the war and held without charge, and they were sent back to the territory. But 250 of them were serving long sentences for deadly attacks against Israelis. For 154 of those prisoners, their freedom came with a major condition: They were sent into exile, never to return to their homes in the Palestinian territories. They were sent to Cairo, with their final destination still undetermined."
"Two prisoners released by Israel in a 2011 prisoner-hostage swap with Hamas ended up taking leadership roles with the militant group after being released, according to Israel's Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency. Zaher Jabarin, deported to Turkey, began overseeing Hamas' financial operations, the Shin Bet said in a report. Another, Yahya Sinwar, became the Hamas leader in Gaza who orchestrated the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel when 1,144 Israelis were killed, according to Israeli government figures, sparking the Gaza war."
Israel released nearly 2,000 Palestinians in October in exchange for Hamas freeing its final group of Israeli hostages. Most released detainees were arrested in Gaza on suspicion of participating in wartime hostilities, held without charge, and returned to Gaza. Two hundred fifty had long sentences for deadly attacks; 154 of those were deported into exile and sent to Cairo with no return to Palestinian territories permitted. Israeli security officials say deportation aims to prevent renewed militant activity. Past cases show deported prisoners have taken on key Hamas roles abroad and helped build militant networks that later threatened Israeli security.
Read at www.npr.org
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