HAMAS is reportedly demanding Israel release notorious terrorist Ibrahim Hamed who was given an eye-watering 54 life terms.
Hamed is a terror commander who ordered a slew of suicide bombing attacks against Israel and was accused of killing at least 96 civilians.
Oren Nahshon/Flash90Hamas terrorist Ibrahim Hamed – due to be released by Israel in the coming weeks[/caption]
Hamas terrorists mob Israeli hostage Emily Damari as she is freed from captivity after 471 days
GettyOwner of Cafe Moment in downtown Jerusalem sobs on March 10, 2002, after a deadly suicide bombing orchestrated by Hamed[/caption]
GettyDevastation at the scene of a suicide blast at Cafe Moment, Jerusalem, organised by Hamed[/caption]
There are currently some 10,400 Palestinians being held in Israeli prisons with Hamed potentially making the list of those to be let go in the coming weeks, Reuters reports.
And according to reports in Ynet News, Hamas chiefs are demanding his release as part of ongoing negotiations.
Operating out of Palestine’s Occupied West Bank, he was particularly active during the Second Intifada, an uprising in Palestine against Israeli occupation from 2000 to 2005.
Hamed, now in his late 50s or early 60s, was finally caught by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) counter-terror unit after an eight-year manhunt in 2006.
Israel tried him in a military court and years later he was convicted of killing 46 people in attacks including the horrific 2002 Cafe Moment bombing in Jerusalem.
Now Hamas is demanding his release as part of the fragile ongoing ceasefire in Gaza – in exchange for Israeli civilians captured on October 7.
Some 90 Palestinian prisoners were traded for just three young Israeli women last Sunday, with around 30 more expected to be let go for every hostage.
Hamas mastermind Hamed had been released from a Palestinian Authority prison in 2001 when he began planning a series of horrific suicide attacks that became his trademark.
The IDF finally caught him after surrounding his hideout and threatening to demolish it with him still inside.
He surrendered to the dozen jeeps and armoured vehicles in the West Bank city of Ramallah – beginning his almost 13 years in Israeli captivity.
GettyWounded Israelis are evacuated from the Moment Cafe after the blast[/caption]
During his years on the run Israel arrested his wife for eight months and demolished their house, before deporting her and their children to Jordan.
Many Israelis have concerns about their safety with hundreds of Palestinian prisoners due to be released in the coming weeks.
A considerable amount are Hamas terrorists.
CEASEFIRE DEAL REACHED
The second truce in Hamas and Israel’s most recent 15-month war was finally achieved last week.
All the Israeli hostages are expected to be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
The detailed plan has been divided into three phases and is expected to last for weeks.
On Sunday 19, Brit hostages Emily Damari, Romi Gonen, and Doron Steinbrecher were returned to their families by Hamas captors.
They were the first three Israeli hostages let go as part of phase one.
The trio’s release was nearly derailed as Hamas delayed providing their names, prompting Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to accuse the group of breaching the ceasefire terms.
Touching moments followed their arrival in Israel, where their mums embraced them at an IDF reception centre.
Four more hostages will be returned on the seventh day then every week for a period of four weeks.
The next release of hostages and prisoners is due Saturday.
Finally, 14 hostages will be returned in the sixth week from the group of 33 made up of 12 women and children, 10 men over the age of 50 and 11 younger men.
Negotiations will start again to secure the release of 65 hostages still in Gaza on the 16th day of the ceasefire.
It comes as Israeli forces launched a “large-scale and significant” military operation into the occupied West Bank as part of a new “Iron Wall” offensive late on Monday.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) invaded the city of Jenin as part of a mission expected to last at least several days with the involvement of Israeli soldiers, police and intelligence services.
Shortly after suspected Jewish settlers stormed Palestinian villages, setting cars and property ablaze, new US President Donald Trump axed sanctions against Israelis accused of violence in the territory.
At least 10 people were killed and 40 injured yesterday, local health authorities report.
And senior Hamas terrorist Mousa Abu Marzouk told The New York Times that the group is ready to talk with the US about the raging war in Gaza.
He said: “We’re prepared for a dialogue with America and achieving understandings on everything.”
Palestinian Authority security forces deploy in the Jenin camp for Palestinian refugees in the occupied West Bank
What happened on October 7?
BY Ellie Doughty, Foreign News Reporter
On October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists stormed the border between Gaza and Israel, slaughtering over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals.
They kidnapped some 250 more, with many of them since killed in captivity and some released as part of ongoing negotiations with Israel.
In the 15 months since, Israel has almost completely destroyed the Gaza strip in an effort to eradicate Hamas and bring home its trapped people.
Amid international cries for peace, Israeli PM Netanyahu has repeatedly vowed not to stop until Hamas is destroyed.
As of January 2025 at least 47,000 people inside Gaza have been killed – according to figures shared by local health authorities in the Hamas-run enclave and published by the United Nations.
No international bodies have been allowed into the Strip to formally verify the numbers and Israel has not given a death toll for civilians killed.
The IDF claims to have taken out some 20,000 Hamas terrorists during the war.
Over 1,700 Israelis have died in the conflict including civilians and soldiers – and counting the atrocities of October 7.
The war has sparked involvement from Hamas backer Iran – with high-profile assassinations carried out by Israeli spies inside the country sparking fears of further conflict.
Israel has also been locked in a fierce tit-for-tat battle with Hezbollah across the Lebanese border – leading to the death and displacement of both Lebanese and Israeli people.
Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
