Israel refuses to free Marwan Barghouti under Gaza prisoner exchange
Some compare Barghouti's stature to that of Nelson Mandela with polls consistently showing him as the most popular Palestinian politician and a possible successor to President Mahmoud Abbas
Israel has excluded Marwan Barghouti — the most popular and potentially unifying Palestinian leader — from the roster of prisoners it intends to free under the new Gaza ceasefire deal, officials said today (11 October).
Jerusalem also rejected other high-profile names long sought by Hamas, though it was not immediately clear whether the list of roughly 250 inmates published yesterday (10 October) is final.
Hamas negotiator Mousa Abu Marzouk told Al Jazeera the group continues to press for Barghouti's release and remains in talks with mediators. Israel regards Barghouti as a terrorist leader; he is serving multiple life terms after a 2004 conviction over attacks that killed five people.
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Beyond his convictions, Israeli officials are said to fear Barghouti's political influence. A longtime Fatah figure who has at times advocated a two-state outcome even while supporting armed resistance to occupation, Barghouti is widely viewed by Palestinians as a consensus leader.
Some compare his stature to that of Nelson Mandela. Polls consistently show him as the most popular Palestinian politician and a possible successor to President Mahmoud Abbas.
Also read: What do we know about Trump's Gaza deal?
Under the ceasefire arrangements that took effect yesterday, Hamas is to free roughly 20 living Israeli hostages within days while Israel will release about 250 Palestinian prisoners and roughly 1,700 people seized from Gaza during the past two years and held without charge.
The proposed releases carry potent symbolism on both sides: Israelis view many of the detainees as terrorists responsible for deadly attacks, while Palestinians often regard those held by Israel as political prisoners or resistance figures.
Most names on Israel's published list are members of Hamas or Fatah detained in the 2000s and convicted for shootings, bombings and other attacks during the violent years of the Second Intifada. Several of those to be freed will be sent to Gaza or go into exile outside the Palestinian territories, the list shows.
Among the prisoners slated for release is Iyad Abu al-Rub, an Islamic Jihad commander convicted over suicide bombings that killed 13 people in 2003–2005. The oldest listed is Samir Abu Naama, 64, a Fatah member arrested in 1986; the youngest is Mohammed Abu Qatish, who was 16 at his arrest in 2022 and convicted of an attempted stabbing.
Hamas has repeatedly insisted Barghouti be included in any major exchange. Israel has long resisted such demands, in part because of the precedent of past deals: when senior Hamas figures were freed in earlier swaps, some went on to resume leadership roles in the militant movement.
One oft-cited example is Yahya Sinwar, released in 2011 and later a key architect of the 7 October 2023 attack.
Barghouti, 66, hails from the West Bank village of Kobar and rose to prominence as a student activist at Birzeit University. He was active in both the First and Second Intifadas and returned to the West Bank during the 1990s peace process.
During the Second Intifada, Israel accused him — then head of Fatah in the West Bank — of leading the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades; he has denied membership in the group but was convicted at trial and given multiple life sentences after refusing to recognise the court's authority.
Throughout his imprisonment, Barghouti has remained a focal point in Palestinian politics. He registered an electoral list in 2021 for postponed parliamentary polls and led a 40-day hunger strike for prisoner rights. Analysts say his appeal crosses factional lines and that his release could strengthen Palestinian institutions — a prospect Israel's right-wing government and, some analysts argue, President Abbas find threatening.
Barghouti was last publicly shown in August when far-right Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted video of an encounter with him in prison, warning that Israel would confront and "wipe out" anyone acting against the state.
