When the Gaza ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas was announced on January 15, Ghassan Aliyeh said his first feeling was relief that the mass killings of his compatriots might finally end. I say there is.
Like everyone in the occupied West Bank, the Aliuans are seeking the freedom of 90 Palestinian prisoners to be released in the coming days in exchange for three Israeli prisoners of war as part of a cease-fire deal. I was looking forward to celebrating.
However, the next day – January 16, three days before the cease-fire took effect – Israeli soldiers raided the Aliuan home in Bethlehem and abducted their 22-year-old son, Adam.
“They took him for no reason,” the 60-year-old Aliuan told Al Jazeera by phone. “There was no way to protect him or my family.
“We are not disruptors,” he said. That is, they are not resisting or causing anxiety.
Since the announcement of the ceasefire in Gaza, Israel has arrested at least 95 Palestinians in raids and checkpoints for clear reasons across the Jordan River, according to Jenna Abu Hasna, a researcher at a Palestinian civil society organization. According to Jenna Abu Hasna, a researcher with a Palestinian civil society organization, who is monitoring the arrests and restraints in the occupied territory.
Many of them were arrested in the days during the onset of the ceasefire, which took effect on January 19th.
Mass incarceration of Palestinians, including the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements and large-scale killings, injuries and confiscation of civilians, according to rights groups and families of prisoners, is being carried out on the Jordan River in Israel. It is just one feature of the illegal occupation of the West Bank.
“The situation we are living in is really difficult right now. We are being treated as slaves…or less than slaves,” Aliuan said from his home.
suppression tools
Israel captured East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, and the West Bank and Gaza were occupied by Israel during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, according to the United Nations and B’tselem, Israeli human rights groups. Since occupying Israel, Israel has imprisoned approximately 800,000 Palestinians across the occupied territories.
“(Mass incarceration) is part of the apartheid regime,” B’tselem spokesperson Sharon Parnes told Al Jazeera.
“It’s part of trying to make Palestinian life miserable in order to make people want to leave Palestinian life,” he added.
Addameer’s Abuhasna also said that Israel has a track record of re-registering dozens, and sometimes hundreds, of Palestinians released in “prisoner trades.” This can happen immediately after the trade is acted upon, and sometimes even months or years later.
She referenced the POW trade for the return of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was captured by Hamas during a cross-border raid and brought back to Gaza in 2005.
Five years later, Shalit was finally released in exchange for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners, including Yahya Sinwar, who were killed by Israel in Gaza last October.
Three years later, Israel raided the homes and reinstated dozens of Palestinians released under the Shalit deal for no apparent reason.
In addition, Israel has arrested and rearrested hundreds of people in the West Bank due to a prisoner-of-war deal with Hamas in a temporary ceasefire between the two warring parties in November 2023, Abu Hasna said. said.
“Tactics to detain Palestinians are not new, even during agreements and when prisoner exchanges are occurring,” she told Al Jazeera.
“The (Israeli) occupation continues to detain Palestinians the same day the prisoners are released, and sometimes days or years later.
revolving door
Despite the recent arrests, many Palestinian families were able to return home and welcome their loved ones after the latest prisoner exchange on January 20th.
Mohamed Amro, a 55-year-old father of seven living in Hebron, said he was finally reunited with his 23-year-old daughter Janine, who was abducted in the middle of the night from the family home during Israel in December 2023. 3rd raid – less than two months after the start of the war with Gaza.
He still recalls the events of that harrowing night, a common experience for many Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
“Professional soldiers broke down the door and attacked her and abducted her from her bed,” Amro told Al Jazeera.
Janin was held in administrative detention. This is a process inherited from the British colonial mission in Palestine, which lasted from 1920 to 1948, during which time Britain often held Palestinian critics and resistance fighters without reason, without trial, and without cover. It was.
The civilian courts in which Israelis are tried after expelling the Palestinians from their land in 1948, when Israel consolidated the process after an event known as the Nakba, or “The Catastrophe” but when they integrated this process to try Palestinians in military courts.
Amuro says his daughter is still unaware of the charges brought against her and says she suffered extreme abuse in prison. “From the day she was taken until the day she was released, Janine slept and woke up every night on a cold floor. Her room was also really freezing…and she was constantly scared. ” he said.
threats and intimidation
Amro was one of hundreds of people waiting in the cold in the West Bank for about 10 hours until Palestinian prisoners in a prisoner exchange were released.
The prisoners were supposed to be released around 4pm (14:00 GMT) on 19 January, but this was delayed until 2am (00:00 GMT) the following morning. When he finally saw Janine shift, he immediately saw that she had lost a lot of weight and had dark bags under her eyes from lack of sleep.
Amuro immediately took his daughter home so she could rest and finally get a good night’s sleep after spending over a year in prison.
“She was traumatized,” Amro told Al Jazeera. “She was unable to fully explain how they treated her in prison.”
The next day, Israeli soldiers knock on Amuro’s door, warning him not to hold parties or celebrate Janine’s release.
Although he promised not to do so, he remains fearful that Israeli soldiers will raid his home again to arrest Janin or one of his other children.
He explained that part of life under occupation is knowing that your loved one can be arrested at any time for no apparent reason.
“There is a lot of fear at the moment because of the escalating situation in the West Bank,” he resigned.
“Every day, the occupation (army) arrests 30-40 and even 50 new prisoners.”
