Palestinians freed within the ceasefire say Israeli forces harass them and their households

KFAR AQAB, East Jerusalem — Ashraf Zughayer was given two days’ discover earlier than being launched from Israeli jail after greater than twenty years.

“I felt like I was born again,” the 47-year-old Palestinian says, sitting on the sofa in his household’s lounge.

Zughayer was arrested in 2002 for being a member of Palestinian militant group Hamas and driving a suicide bomber to an assault on a Tel Aviv bus that killed six folks. He was sentenced to 600 years.

However after serving 23 years, Zughayer was launched in January as a part of the hostage-for-prisoner alternate outlined in a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

Almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees have been launched from Israeli jails in current weeks, in alternate for 33 Israeli hostages freed by Hamas. Most of the Palestinians launched, like Zughayer, had life sentences for lethal assaults on Israelis, whereas others — together with ladies and minors — had been held in administrative detention with out fees or sentences. Greater than half of the Palestinians had been despatched to Gaza. However a number of hundred had been launched to their households within the Israeli-occupied West Financial institution — they usually allege harassment, arrests and intimidation by Israel after they had been freed.

When Zughayer was launched, he says members of his household instantly drove him residence, the place his mother and father had been ready for him.

“That was the best moment of my life, seeing my parents in our house, and not in jail,” Zughayer remembers.

His mother had cooked an enormous meal, and other people from throughout the neighborhood had gathered. However the celebration was short-lived.

Just some hours later, Israeli troopers and police raided the home, weapons raised, in response to the household and a number of other New York Occasions journalists who had been there masking Zughayer’s launch. The Israeli forces made folks, together with youngsters, lie on the ground, and arrested Zughayer’s brother.

Israeli police got here again a number of days later and arrested 12 extra members of the prolonged household.

The police informed NPR they had been arrested for “involvement in a recent demonstration supporting a terrorist.” A police report says they had been waving Hamas flags and shot off a gun. The household denies that.

“My relatives tried to argue in the court, saying that we were celebrating him because he is our family, and not because he’s Hamas,” Zughayer says. The argument did not work, he says.

Israel says celebrations round prisoner and detainee releases encourage violence and terrorism, and has lengthy discouraged them. The federal government has been particularly adamant about it throughout this ceasefire deal, banning them. However Palestinians say the foundations are ambiguous, and name the ban an intimidation tactic.

The releases have coincided with a significant Israeli army operation within the West Financial institution, which Israel says is for counterterrorism, and started two days after the Gaza ceasefire deal went into impact. Israel’s protection minister, Israel Katz, not too long ago visited Israeli troops within the Tulkarem refugee camp, placing out a video assertion during which he warned newly launched Palestinians.

“I warn the terrorists released to the West Bank — we are watching you, and we will hunt down and eliminate anyone involved in terrorism,” Katz mentioned.

A wider sample

Qadura Fares was the pinnacle of the Palestinian Prisoner Affairs Fee for greater than 30 years, the official Palestinian group that offers with detainees. He was not too long ago fired from the place by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas after a disagreement. NPR spoke with Fares whereas he was nonetheless within the place.

He mentioned what occurred on the Zughayer home was an excessive case, however it match a wider sample.

“The Israelis play some silly games,” Fares mentioned. “In all the villages, all the refugee camps, the Shabak are phoning the families.”

The Shabak is Israel’s inner safety company. Fares mentioned launched detainees and their households get frequent telephone calls, reminding them to not have fun. The safety company, also referred to as Shin Wager, didn’t reply to NPR’s requests for remark.

“And Israel keeps arresting as part of their strategy,” Fares mentioned.

Israeli forces are nonetheless arresting Palestinians within the West Financial institution each day, particularly with the brand new army operation there. So at the same time as a whole lot of Palestinians have been launched from Israeli jails to the West Financial institution over the previous month, a whole lot extra have been arrested or detained throughout that point. Greater than 9,000 Palestinians are nonetheless being held in Israeli jails, in response to Israeli and Palestinian human rights teams — a quantity that roughly doubled for the reason that conflict in Gaza started in 2023.

And, Fares identified, the ceasefire deal doesn’t specify that those that are launched cannot be rearrested.

A earlier truce between Israel and Hamas in November 2023 concerned the alternate of hostages for prisoners and detainees as nicely. Greater than 30 of the 240 or so Palestinians launched in that deal had been later rearrested, and 4 killed by Israeli forces. Fares mentioned it is a approach of holding former detainees and their households on their toes.

Households on edge

In a small Palestinian village outdoors of Ramallah, within the West Financial institution, Rudeina and her nephew Hamad sit within the household lounge. A framed portrait of Rudeina’s brother, Hamad’s uncle, hangs on the wall above their heads. He’s set to quickly be launched after 16 years in Israeli jail on fees of being affiliated with Hamas.

NPR is just not utilizing the household’s final identify as a result of they are saying they have been threatened by Israeli forces and worry for his or her security. Troopers had been simply on the home a number of hours in the past.

“They came here, and stood right outside the door, and told us celebrations are not allowed,” Hamad says. “They said that if we celebrated, they would raid the house, and arrest anyone involved.”

Rudeina says all of it has the household on edge. “We are so happy that he’s coming out, because every day out means a better life for him. But the atmosphere in the house is still very sad. We’re just so worried,” she says.

As she’s speaking, one other member of the household pokes their head into the lounge and says phrase has unfold via a neighborhood WhatsApp group that the Israeli army is at one other home down the road. Rudeina retains getting as much as look out the window nervously.

“Maybe after you leave, the soldiers will come back,” she says.

Minutes later, as NPR’s group walks out the door, three armored army jeeps waving the Israeli flag drive by the home, and proceed down the road.

Nuha Musleh contributed to this report from the West Financial institution. Itay Stern contributed from Tel Aviv, Israel.