Prison Without End: The Story of Palestinian Leaders Living Under Israeli Torture

From right: Marwan Barghouti, Ahmed Saadat, Ibrahim Hamed, and Abbas al-Sayed (Source: Aljazeera.net)

# Internasional

The third phase of the “Thaufan al-Aqsa” prisoner exchange agreement has once again stirred controversy, as it excludes the names of prominent Palestinian prisoner movement leaders still detained in Israeli prisons. Their absence nearly derailed the negotiations, which were part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to end the war in Gaza. According to the Hamas Prisoners' Media Office, discussions over the prisoner list faced numerous obstacles, while Palestinian organizations accused Israel of refusing to release these figures and subjecting them to years of brutal torture.

Several well-known leaders remain behind bars under inhumane conditions. Among them is Marwan Barghouti, a senior Fatah figure sentenced to five life terms since 2004, widely regarded as a unifying symbol among Palestinian factions. Another is Abdullah Barghouti, the chief strategist of Hamas' military operations, who is currently serving 67 life sentences — the longest in the world — and has reportedly endured severe torture that left him with lasting injuries. Hassan Salameh and Abbas al-Sayyid, both commanders of the al-Qassam Brigades, suffer from malnutrition, loss of vision, and multiple injuries due to prison violence.

Other figures such as Ibrahim Hamed, Ahmad Sa’adat, and Ahed Abu Ghoulmeh share similar suffering. Hamed has been sentenced to 54 life terms and excluded from all exchange deals, while Sa’adat, the Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), has been kept in isolation for the past two years under deplorable conditions. Abu Ghoulmeh, accused of involvement in the assassination of Israel’s Tourism Minister, was reportedly beaten so severely that he sustained a dislocated shoulder and fractured ribs without medical treatment.

Additionally, Muammar Shahrour and Muhannad Shreim from Tulkarem each face 29 life sentences and suffer from starvation and severe skin diseases as a result of inhumane treatment. Palestinian human rights groups assert that such Israeli practices represent a systematic attempt to break the prisoners’ spirit of resistance, while international bodies such as the Red Cross remain silent and non-transparent about conditions since 2023.

According to Amjad al-Najjar, Director of the Palestinian Prisoners Club, the situation of these leaders is now “catastrophic,” with their bodies weakened and emaciated after years of torture. Israel reportedly refuses to release them out of fear that they might return to lead the armed resistance, as happened with Yahiya Sinwar. However, for figures like Marwan Barghouti and Ahmad Sa’adat, the real reason is believed to be political: Israel fears that their release would reunite divided Palestinian factions and strengthen the national solidarity of the Palestinian people.

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Source: Gaza Media

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