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Palestinian Authority Official: ‘Heroes’ Welcome’ Planned for Released Terrorists
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appoints Mohammad Mustafa as prime minister of the Palestinian Authority (PA), in Ramallah, in the West Bank March 14, 2024 in this handout image. Photo: Palestinian president office/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
With fanfare and fervor, a senior Fatah official has hailed the release of convicted terrorists as a moment of triumph for the “giants of loyalty, sacrifice, and resolve.”
As Fatah calls for the “freedom of all our heroic prisoners,” the celebration leaves little doubt that Fatah sees these terrorist murderers not as criminals, but as champions.
Contrary to the pro-peace image it is trying to transmit, the Palestinian Authority (PA) is showing its great support for the terrorist prisoners being released in the exchange deal between Israel and Hamas.
Right after the deal was signed, the PA’s Governor of Tulkarem announced that all terrorists would be given “a heroes’ welcome”:
Tulkarem District Governor Abdallah Kmeil: “[In the ceasefire deal] 296 prisoners [i.e., terrorists] who were sentenced to life [will be released] … Thousands of blessings to the prisoners’ relatives …
Undoubtedly, we will accord them a heroes’ welcome, and they deserve to be greeted and we have a plan to welcome everyone. In the Tulkarem district we will greet them at Tulkarem district headquarters.” [emphasis added]
[PA Tulkarem District Governorate, Facebook page, Jan. 18, 2025]
Senior Fatah official Tawfiq Tirawi celebrated the release of terrorists and murderers, glorifying them as “the giants of loyalty, sacrifice, and resolve,” and deserving of “blessings”:
Posted text: “[Israel] surrendered to a prisoner exchange deal due to our people’s mighty resolve… This led to the collective freedom of thousands of prisoners, including hundreds who were given life sentences and heavy sentences, some of whom had even served more than 40 years in prison.
Despite the pain, wounds, loss, and destruction, this freedom of the giants of loyalty, sacrifice, and resolve is worthy of joy, despite the great pain.
These mighty released prisoners deserve blessings … The Palestinian people will not stop its struggle.” [emphasis added]
[Fatah Central Committee member Tawfiq Tirawi, Facebook page, Jan. 25, 2025]
The Revolutionary Council of PA Chairman Abbas’ Fatah Movement issued a statement “sharing in the joy” over the release of the “heroic” terrorist prisoners and vowed to continue “the struggle through all legal means” — a Palestinian term that endorses and promotes the use of terror against Israel:
Posted text:“The Fatah Revolutionary Council shares in the joy of our people and the families of the prisoners who were released and blesses them.
The Revolutionary Council emphasizes our people’s insistence on the freedom of all our heroic prisoners from the occupation’s prisons, the continuation of our national struggle through all legal means to stop the Israeli aggression…” [emphasis added]
[Fatah Commission of Information and Culture, Facebook page, Jan. 25, 2025]
Many of the released terrorists who have murdered the largest number of Israelis have been expelled to foreign countries.
But that did not stop Director of PLO Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs Qadura Fares from traveling to Egypt to honor the terrorist murderers. He smilingly posed with them for pictures, all wearing scarves featuring the PA map of “Palestine” that erases Israel:
Posted text: “Pictures from the reception by Director of [PLO] Commission of Prisoners’ [Affairs] Qadura Fares for prisoners who were released in the first round of the exchange process in Cairo”
[PLO Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs, Facebook page, Jan. 26, 2025]
Meeting with the French consul earlier, Fares expressed his satisfaction with Hamas terrorists successful holding of the Israeli hostages.
Fares stated his belief that in later stages of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas “symbols and leaders of the prisoners’ movement” such as Marwan Barghouti who planned terror attacks in which five Israelis were murdered, will be released:
Fares explained to [French Consul General in Jerusalem] Nicolas [Kassianides] that Israel … was forced to finalize the deal to bring back the Israeli prisoners [sic., hostages], whom the Palestinian resistance factions succeeded in holding for more than 15 months, and whom the occupation regime was unable to bring back despite the war of annihilation whose price we are still paying until today…
Fares emphasized that the second round [of the ceasefire] after the first six weeks of the exchange process at this stage, which will take place this Saturday evening or in the early morning hours of Sunday, will be different because it will include prisoners [i.e., terrorists] who were sentenced to life imprisonment or those who have been sentenced to long-term punishment, and this will pave the way for additional rounds in which symbols and leaders of the prisoners’ movement will be released, foremost among them prisoner leader Marwan Barghouti [i.e., terrorist, orchestrated three attacks in which 5 were murdered]. [emphasis added]
[PLO Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs website, Jan. 23, 2025]
Abbas’ advisor on Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations Mahmoud Al-Habbash likewise conveyed the “joy” for the release:
Al-Habbash: “The entire Palestinian nation is experiencing mixed emotions these days. Joy for the release of the prisoners, this batch of prisoners, because every prisoner that is released from the occupation’s prisons is an achievement for us as Palestinians, as a people, as a cause, as a struggle, and as a national project.”
[YouTube channel, Jan. 25, 2025]
Among the PA officials who have rejoiced over the release of terrorists is the PA’s governor of Ramallah, Laila Ghannam, who showed her joy and support by visiting terrorists in the hospital as Palestinian Media Watch exposed last month.
Ghannam’s directorate further posted statements by Ghannam, praising released terrorists who served life sentences as “heroes” and “symbols of resolve and defiance”:
Posted text: “Upon receiving these released heroes, Ghannam emphasized that the prisoners are symbols of the struggle and resolve of the Palestinian people in the face of the cruelty of the occupation [i.e., Israel], and added that loyalty to them is a national and moral duty that our people will never neglect…
She added: ‘These prisoners who spent decades behind the bars of the occupation are a symbol of resolve and defiance, for despite their long suffering, their high morale is a message of hope to our people that freedom will arrive without a doubt.‘” [emphasis added]
[Ramallah and El-Bireh Governorate, Facebook page, Jan. 25, 2025]
The author is a senior analyst at Palestinian Media Watch, where a version of this article was originally published.
The post Palestinian Authority Official: ‘Heroes’ Welcome’ Planned for Released Terrorists first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Netanyahu Criticizes Nation-Wide Strike That ‘Strengthens Hamas’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference in Jerusalem, Sept. 2, 2024. Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool via REUTERS
i24 News – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday harshly criticized nationwide demonstrations calling for the release of hostages and an end to the Gaza war.
Speaking at a government meeting, Netanyahu argued that such protests only strengthen Hamas and risk repeating the atrocities of October 7.
“Those who call today for an end to Hamas’s war not only harden the terrorist group’s position and delay the release of our hostages, but also guarantee that the horrors of October 7 will be repeated and that we will have to fight an endless war,” Netanyahu said.
The prime minister defended Israel’s ongoing military operations, citing strikes carried out in recent days: “In the last 24 hours, the navy attacked power stations in Yemen, IDF soldiers struck Zeitoun and eliminated dozens of terrorists in Gaza, and the air force targeted Hezbollah commanders and launch sites in Lebanon.”
He added that Israel’s response in Lebanon was consistent with the ceasefire agreement: “According to this agreement, we will meet with fire any violation and any attempt to arm Hezbollah.”
Netanyahu reaffirmed Israel’s conditions for ending the conflict, stressing the need for continued security control in Gaza and the group’s long-term demilitarization. He rejected Hamas’s demand for a full Israeli withdrawal: “They want us to leave Gaza entirely — from the north, the south, the Philadelphi corridor, and the security perimeter. That would only allow them to reorganize, rearm, and attack us again.”
The war has now entered its 681st day, with 49 hostages still held by Hamas.
Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of Israelis joined a general strike organized by the Hostage Families Forum, calling for the return of all captives in a single deal and for an end to the war. Demonstrations spread across the country, at major intersections, government ministers’ homes, and familiar protest hubs such as Kaplan Junction and the Ayalon highways.
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Family Releases Footage of Matan Zangauker in Captivity
A screenshot of a video released by the family of hostage Matan Zangauker.
i24 News – The family of Matan Zangauker, the Israeli hostage held by Hamas since October 7, shared new footage of him from captivity on Sunday evening.
The video, obtained by the IDF, was recorded several months ago.
In the recording, 32-year-old Matan looks directly into the camera, addressing his loved ones: “Tato, Shani, Ilana, I miss you. God willing, we’ll see each other soon. All my friends and acquaintances, go out and make noise like only you know how.”
Matan was kidnapped from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, along with his partner Ilana Gritsievsky, who was released in a hostage deal last year. Since then, Matan has remained in Hamas custody while his family continues to fight for his return.
On the national protest day calling for the release of hostages, Ilana staged a poignant display at Hostages Square. Dressed in a wedding gown beneath a chuppah, she symbolically “married” Matan in his absence. “Matan, my curly-haired one, if you hadn’t been abducted, we could already be married. In a single day, our world was destroyed, and you’re not here to hold me. I’m fighting for you until you come back,” she said.
Matan’s mother, Einav, has emerged as a leading voice in the campaign for the hostages’ release and has sharply criticized Israel’s political leadership, accusing them of undermining potential hostage deals.
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Hamas Rejects Israel’s Gaza Relocation Plan
Palestinians, displaced by the Israeli offensive, shelter in a tent camp as the Israeli military prepares to relocate residents to southern Gaza, in Gaza City August 17, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Palestinian terrorist group Hamas said on Sunday that Israel’s plan to relocate residents from Gaza City constitutes a “new wave of genocide and displacement” for hundreds of thousands of residents in the area.
The group said the planned deployment of tents and other shelter equipment by Israel into southern Gaza was a “blatant deception.”
The Israeli military has said it is preparing to provide tents and other equipment starting from Sunday ahead of its plan to relocate residents from combat zones to the south of the enclave “to ensure their safety.”
Hamas said in a statement that the deployment of tents under the guise of humanitarian purposes is a blatant deception intended to “cover up a brutal crime that the occupation forces prepare to execute.”
Israel said earlier this month that it intended to launch a new offensive to seize control of northern Gaza City, the enclave’s largest urban center. The plan has raised international alarm over the fate of the demolished strip, which is home to about 2.2 million people.