Israeli prisoner release shines light on system of detaining Palestinians without charge

Source: NBC

Israeli prisoner release shines light on system of detaining Palestinians without charge

Of the 300 prisoners identified as eligible for release in exchange for hostages, 80% were not convicted of any crimes, an NBC News analysis revealed.

Nov. 30, 2023, 12:37 PM EST
By David Noriega

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In the lead-up to the temporary truce in the war in Gaza that broke out after Hamas launched its Oct. 7 terror attack, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping 240, the Israeli government approved a list of 300 Palestinian prisoners eligible for release.

According to an NBC News analysis of the list, about 20% of them were convicted of crimes, the most serious of which is attempted murder. One woman released as part of the deal, for example, was imprisoned for stabbing an Israeli soldier in the back in 2015, when she was 22 years old. The list indicates that others were detained for offenses such as supporting terrorism, trespassing, belonging to an illegal organization, throwing incendiary devices and stones and carrying, possessing and manufacturing weapons, among others.

Roughly 80% of those on the list were not convicted of any crimes. They were either charged with crimes that had not yet been prosecuted, or were detained under a practice known as administrative detention, whereby Israel holds Palestinians in the occupied territories with no formal charges or evidence presented against them.

Khatib says his son was held under administrative detention.

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Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/israel-palestinian-hamas-prisoner-release-gaza-west-bank-rcna127353