Israel releases Palestinian prisoner controversially arrested aged 13
JERUSALEM — Israel has released a Palestinian man who was controversially arrested at the age of 13, after he spent nearly a decade in jail.
Ahmad Manasra has been reunited with his family, his lawyer Khaled Zabarqa told CNN.
'Ahmad has completed his 10-year sentence and he is a free person now,' Zabarqa said. 'The Israeli authorities have imposed restriction on the family as far as holding a welcome ceremony for Ahmad or talking to the media. '
Ahmad Manasra was arrested and imprisoned in 2015 after being caught with his cousin Hassan who stabbed two Israelis in East Jerusalem.
Hassan was shot dead at the scene while Manasra was run over by a car.
Manasra's case gained international attention after a video emerged of crowds shouting abuse at him after the incident while he lies motionless, seriously injured and crying out. Other footage allegedly shows Israeli officials interrogating Manasra under duress as he is visibly shaken and vulnerable, according to the Palestinian Prisoner's Society.
He was sentenced to 12 years for attempted murder in 2016, despite Israeli courts' recognizing he had not been involved in the stabbings, the Palestinian Prisoner's Society added. His sentence was revised down to nine and a half years following an appeal in 2017
International groups have repeatedly called on Israeli authorities for his release over the years over concerns of his treatment and extended stays in solitary confinement, coupled with mental health issues and a schizophrenia diagnosis.
'His physical and medical condition is very difficult as he suffers from head injuries and physiological mental health as he was in solitary confinement and was subjected to harsh interrogation when he was a child,' his lawyer said.
Israel's prison authorities confirmed Manasra was being released on Thursday, adding 'Israel is a state of law, we don't torture people here.' — CNN
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Saudi Gazette
12 hours ago
- Saudi Gazette
Israel says Hamas Gaza chief Sinwar's body identified
JERUSALEM — The Israeli military has said it has located and identified the body of Mohammed Sinwar, the military leader of the Palestinian armed group Hamas in Gaza. His body was discovered in a tunnel underneath the European Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Sunday. It said it had verified the body's identity through DNA checks — though Hamas has not publicly confirmed his death. Sinwar, 49, was killed in an air strike on 13 May, which the Hamas-run civil defense agency said killed 28 people and injured dozens. Sinwar's body was found alongside that of Mohammad Sabaneh, the commander of Hamas's Rafah Brigade, the IDF said. It added that "several items belonging to Sinwar and Sabaneh were located, along with additional intelligence findings that were transferred for further investigation". The IDF said other bodies were found, which it was looking to identify. It took a small group of foreign journalists into Gaza to Khan Younis to show them the tunnel on Sunday. It also published video of the small entrance to the tunnel, accessible through freshly dug earth just in front of the European Hospital. The footage shows a long, narrow underground corridor that leads to several rooms. Inside some of them, piles of clothes and plastic chairs are visible, with a rifle leaning up against the wall. One video also shows a shrouded body being pulled from the tunnel by a rope. IDF spokesperson Brig Gen Effie Defrin said that in one of the rooms they found the Sinwar's body. "This is another example of the cynical use by Hamas, using civilians as human shields, using civilian infrastructure, hospitals, again and again," he said. Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of using hospitals as hiding places for weapons and command centers, which the group denies. The IDF has mounted sieges and attacks on hospitals in Gaza, or ordered their evacuation, leaving the territory's health system on the verge of total collapse. Such attacks have caused widespread international concern, as many hospitals and medical facilities have been put out of action — and the lives of patients and staff put at risk. In a statement after an Israeli strike on al-Ahli hospital in April, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed his deep alarm and declared that, under international humanitarian law, the "wounded and sick, medical personnel and medical facilities, including hospitals, must be respected and protected". Hospital staff in Gaza have also repeatedly denied that Hamas is using their facilities as a base. The IDF will point to this latest footage as vindication of its claims and its military strategy. As with so much in Gaza, however, full independent verification is not possible. Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to the unprecedented cross-border attack on 7 October 2023 , in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage. At least 54,880 people have been killed in Gaza since, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry. The renewed fighting in Gaza comes following the collapse of a ceasefire and hostage exchange deal a few months ago. Since then, Israel has restated its aim to destroy Hamas and recover the hostages, of whom 54 remain in captivity and 23 are thought to still be alive. Mohammed Sinwar joined Hamas shortly after its founding in the late 1980s and became a member of the group's military wing, the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades. He rose through the ranks and by 2005 he was commander of the Khan Younis Brigade. Sinwar was also reported to have been close to another of Hamas's previous military chiefs, Mohammed Deif, and had been involved in the planning of the 7 October attack. His brother and predecessor, Yahya Sinwar — believed to be one of the masterminds behind the 7 October attack — was killed by Israeli troops last October. — BBC
Saudi Gazette
a day ago
- Saudi Gazette
Six killed by Israeli gunfire near Gaza aid site, Hamas officials say
JERUSALEM — Six Palestinians have been killed and several others wounded by Israeli gunfire in the latest deadly incident close to an aid distribution center in southern Gaza, the Hamas-run Civil Defense agency says. People had gathered to collect food supplies on Saturday morning when the shooting started, a spokesman for the agency said. Reports quoting an eyewitness said the Israelis opened fire when people tried to advance toward the site. The Israeli military said it fired warning shots at suspects who approached them in a threatening manner. Dozens of Palestinians have been killed and hundreds injured trying to get to the distribution center this week. The US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) which runs the centre says it has paused its operations to deal with overcrowding and improve safety. But people have gathered nearly every day at a roundabout on the edge of an Israeli military zone, through which they have to pass to reach the aid site. In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said they had told Gazans the area was an active combat zone during nighttime hours. GHF said it had not been able to distribute food on Saturday because of direct threats from Hamas — something the group has denied. Whatever the case, the new incident will almost certainly strengthen international criticism of the new distribution model. The United Nations insists it puts Palestinians in danger and does not provide enough food and medicine to deal with Gaza's humanitarian crisis. Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal said at least 15 people had also been killed by Israeli air strikes on a residential home in Gaza city, with reports that some of the casualties remained trapped in the rubble. The Israeli army said the strikes had eliminated the head of a Palestinian militant group known as the Mujahideen Brigades. The Israelis have accused the group of killing and kidnapping some of the victims of the Hamas-led attacks on 7 October, including a Thai national named Nattapong Pinta. His body was recovered in the Rafah area of southern Gaza in a special operation on Friday. Israel recently began to allow limited aid into Gaza after a three-month blockade, prioritizing distribution through the GHF. But the foundation has been mired in controversy. Medics and local health authorities reported more than 60 Palestinians were killed by gunfire over three days shortly after it started operating. Multiple witnesses blamed Israeli soldiers for the killings. The Israeli military said it had fired warning shots on the first two days and shot near Palestinian suspects advancing towards their positions on the third, adding that it is investigating the incidents. The distribution centre is one of four operated in Gaza by the GHF. It is part of a new aid system — widely condemned by humanitarian groups — aimed at circumventing the UN which Israel has accused of failing to prevent Hamas from diverting supplies to its fighters. The UN has denied these allegations, stating that it can account for all the aid it hands out and that the GHF's system is unworkable and unethical. It is almost 20 months since Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led cross-border attack, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage. At least 54,677 people have been killed in Gaza during the war, according to the territory's health ministry. — BBC
Al Arabiya
a day ago
- Al Arabiya
Israeli military says it struck Hamas member in southern Syria
The Israeli military said on Sunday that it struck a member of the Palestinian militant group Hamas in southern Syria. Developing
