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Terror Leaders & Operatives: More Details on the Palestinian Prisoners That Have Been Set Free

Supporters and family members of hostages kidnapped during the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas, hold lit torches during a protest ahead of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Jan. 16, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Shir Torem
As part of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, hundreds of Palestinian prisoners are set to be released from Israeli prisons in exchange for the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups in Gaza.
Alongside the over 1,000 Gazans who were detained by the Israeli military during the current war between Israel and Hamas, the Israeli government released a list of over 700 imprisoned Palestinians who will potentially be released as part of this deal.
While the media may focus on those who are imprisoned under the system of administrative detention or the women and teens on the list, it is clear from the information provided by the Israeli government that the vast majority of those slated for release are men with ties to internationally-designated terror groups, some of whom have blood on their hands and are serving long prison sentences.
The following is a breakdown of the 733 Palestinian prisoners listed by the Israeli government according to gender, age, charges, imprisonment status, terror affiliation, and whether they will be exiled to a third country:
Breakdown of Prisoners by Gender
Breakdown of Prisoners by Age
Breakdown of Prisoners by Charges
Violent offenses include murder, attempted murder, possession of weapons, kidnapping, rock-throwing, shooting, production of weapons, and assault.
Non-violent offenses include membership in a terror org, incitement, and breach of probation.
Sentenced Prisoners v Detainees
Breakdown of Prisoners by Terror Affiliation
Fatah includes Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades
Prisoners Remaining in Region v Prisoners Being Exiled to a Third Country
Who Are the Most Dangerous Prisoners on the List?
Among the 733 Palestinian prisoners slated to be released as part of the ceasefire deal are many with Israeli blood on their hands, including terrorist leaders and masterminds.
The following are just some of the most dangerous Palestinian terrorists set to be let go in the coming weeks:
Zakaria Zubeidi
- Served as chief of the Fatah-aligned Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in Jenin during the Second Intifada.
- Was involved in several terror attacks, including the 2002 bombing of Likud headquarters in Beit Shean, which killed six Israelis.
- Was given amnesty by Israel in 2007 in return for renouncing violence.
- Arrested in 2019 for shooting at two Israeli civilian buses in the West Bank.
- Took part in the 2021 breakout from Gilboa Prison. Was re-arrested a few days later.
Tabat Mardawi
- Senior Islamic Jihad leader from Jenin.
- Responsible for several bombings and shootings during the Second Intifada, including the suicide bombing of Bus #83 in Afula and the suicide attacks on the Binyamina and Hadera central bus stations.
- Serving 21 life sentences and an additional 40 years in prison for his role in the murder of 21 Israelis and the wounding of 190 more.
Ahmed Barghouti
- Senior aide and cousin of notorious Palestinian terrorist and prisoner Marwan Barghouti.
- Served as the head of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in Ramallah.
- Orchestrated several bombing and shooting attacks during the Second Intifada, including a shooting spree on Jaffa Street in Jerusalem, a suicide attack at the Maccabim checkpoint, and a shooting attack at a Tel Aviv seafood restaurant.
- Serving 13 life sentences for his role in the murder of 12 Israeli civilians.
Mohammad Abu Warda
- Member of Hamas.
- Serving 48 life sentences for orchestrating the 1996 suicide bombing attacks on the number 18 bus line in Jerusalem, which killed 45 people.
- Described by the military prosecutor as “a mass murderer standing before the court today.”
Mohammed Naifeh
- Member of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.
- Serving 13 life sentences for dispatching the terrorists in the 2002 attacks on Kibbutz Metzer and Hermesh, which killed 8 Israelis (including a 34-year-old woman and her two infant children).
- In 2018, was accused of attempting to orchestrate a terror attack from prison.
- Considered to be one of the “most senior Palestinian prisoners in Israel.”
The Silwan Squad
- Three members (Wael Qassem, Wissam Abasi, and Muhammad Odeh) of the four-person Hamas cell are slated to be released.
- Orchestrated five terror attacks between March and June 2022, including the suicide attacks on Café Moment in Jerusalem, the Sheffield Club in Rishon Letzion, and Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
- Serving multiple life sentences for the murder of 35 people (including four Americans) and the wounding of hundreds more.
Mahmoud Attallah
- Member of Fatah.
- Serving one life sentence and 15 years for the 2003 murder of a Palestinian woman suspected of collaborating with Israeli security forces.
- Accused of the rape and sexual abuse of female Israeli prison guards while incarcerated at Gilboa Prison.
Mahmoud Atallah-
Murdered a Palestinian woman because she was suspected of collaborating with Israel
Accused of rape and sexual harassment of 6 female guards pic.twitter.com/yyhPETxXCr— Adin – عدین – עדין (@AdinHaykin1) January 18, 2025
Ahmad Obeid
- Head of Hamas terror cell in Jerusalem.
- Dispatched the suicide bomber who blew up Café Hillel in Jerusalem, killing seven people and wounding 64 more.
- Serving 7 life sentences.
Sami Jaradat
- Islamic Jihad operative from Jenin.
- Dispatched the suicide bomber (who happened to be his close relative) who blew up Maxim Restaurant in Haifa, killing 21 people and wounding 60 more.
- Serving 21 life sentences and 50 more years of imprisonment.
Abdullah Sharbati, Majdi Zaatari & Samer al-Atrash
- Members of a Hamas terror cell based in Jerusalem.
- Orchestrated the suicide bombing attacks on Jerusalem bus #2 (which killed 23 people, including 7 children), Jerusalem bus #14, and Jerusalem bus #6.
- Planned future terror attacks, including a suicide bombing of a banquet hall, the kidnapping of IDF soldiers, and the mass-poisoning of a Beit Shemesh delicatessen’s food supply.
The author is a contributor to HonestReporting, a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.
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Iran Says ‘Extremely Cautious’ on Success of Nuclear Talks with US

US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy-designate Steve Witkoff gives a speech at the inaugural parade inside Capital One Arena on the inauguration day of Trump’s second presidential term, in Washington, DC, Jan. 20, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria
Iran and the United States have agreed to continue nuclear talks next week, both sides said on Saturday, though Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi voiced “extreme cautious” about the success of the negotiations to resolve a decades-long standoff.
US President Donald Trump has signaled confidence in clinching a new pact with the Islamic Republic that would block Tehran’s path to a nuclear bomb.
Araqchi and Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff held a third round of the talks in Muscat through Omani mediators for around six hours, a week after a second round in Rome that both sides described as constructive.
“The negotiations are extremely serious and technical… there are still differences, both on major issues and on details,” Araqchi told Iranian state TV.
“There is seriousness and determination on both sides… However, our optimism about success of the talks remains extremely cautious.”
A senior US administration official described the talks as positive and productive, adding that both sides agreed to meet again in Europe “soon.”
“There is still much to do, but further progress was made on getting to a deal,” the official added.
Earlier Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi had said talks would continue next week, with another “high-level meeting” provisionally scheduled for May 3. Araqchi said Oman would announce the venue.
Ahead of the lead negotiators’ meeting, expert-level indirect talks took place in Muscat to design a framework for a potential nuclear deal.
“The presence of experts was beneficial … we will return to our capitals for further reviews to see how disagreements can be reduced,” Araqchi said.
An Iranian official, briefed about the talks, told Reuters earlier that the expert-level negotiations were “difficult, complicated and serious.”
The only aim of these talks, Araqchi said, was “to build confidence about the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.”
Trump, in an interview with Time magazine published on Friday, said “I think we’re going to make a deal with Iran,” but he repeated a threat of military action against Iran if diplomacy fails.
Shortly after Araqchi and Witkoff began their latest indirect talks on Saturday, Iranian state media reported a massive explosion at the country’s Shahid Rajaee port near the southern city of Bandar Abbas, killing at least four people and injuring hundreds.
MAXIMUM PRESSURE
While both Tehran and Washington have said they are set on pursuing diplomacy, they remain far apart on a dispute that has rumbled on for more than two decades.
Trump, who has restored a “maximum pressure” campaign on Tehran since February, ditched a 2015 nuclear pact between Iran and six world powers in 2018 during his first term and reimposed crippling sanctions on Iran.
Since 2019, Iran has breached the pact’s nuclear curbs including “dramatically” accelerating its enrichment of uranium to up to 60% purity, close to the roughly 90% level that is weapons grade, according to the U.N. nuclear watchdog.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this week Iran would have to entirely stop enriching uranium under a deal, and import any enriched uranium it needed to fuel its sole functioning atomic energy plant, Bushehr.
Tehran is willing to negotiate some curbs on its nuclear work in return for the lifting of sanctions, according to Iranian officials, but ending its enrichment program or surrendering its enriched uranium stockpile are among “Iran’s red lines that could not be compromised” in the talks.
Moreover, European states have suggested to US negotiators that a comprehensive deal should include limits preventing Iran from acquiring or finalizing the capacity to put a nuclear warhead on a ballistic missile, several European diplomats said.
Tehran insists its defense capabilities like its missile program are not negotiable.
An Iranian official with knowledge of the talks said on Friday that Tehran sees its missile program as a bigger obstacle in the talks.
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Palestinian Leader Abbas Names Likely Successor in Bid to Reassure World Powers

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas attends the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, April 28, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas named close confidant Hussein al-Sheikh as his deputy and likely successor on Saturday, the Palestine Liberation Organization said, a step widely seen as needed to assuage international doubts over Palestinian leadership.
Abbas, 89, has headed the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA) since the death of veteran leader Yasser Arafat in 2004 but he had for years resisted internal reforms including the naming of a successor.
Sheikh, born in 1960, is a veteran of Fatah, the main PLO faction which was founded by Arafat and is now headed by Abbas. He is widely viewed as a pragmatist with very close ties to Israel.
He was named PLO vice president after the organization’s executive committee approved his nomination by Abbas, the PLO said in a statement.
Reform of the PA, which exercises limited autonomy in the West Bank, has been a priority for the United States and Gulf monarchies hoping the body can play a central role in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Pressure to reform has intensified since the start of the war in Gaza, where the PLO’s main Palestinian rival Hamas has battled Israel for more than 18 months, leaving the tiny, crowded territory in ruins.
The United States has promoted the idea of a reformed PA governing in Gaza after the war. Gulf monarchies, which are seen as the most likely source of funding for reconstruction in Gaza after the war, also want major reforms of the body.
CALL FOR HAMAS TO DISARM
Israel’s declared goal in Gaza is the destruction of Hamas but it has also ruled out giving the PA any role in government there. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he opposes the creation of a Palestinian state.
Hamas, which follows a militant Islamist ideology, has controlled Gaza since 2007 when it defeated the PA in a brief civil war after winning an election the previous year. It also has a large presence in the West Bank.
At a meeting of the PLO’s Central Council on Wednesday and Thursday that approved the position of vice president without naming an appointee, Abbas made his clearest ever call for Hamas to completely disarm and hand its weapons – and responsibility for governing in Gaza – to the PA.
Widespread corruption, lack of progress towards an independent state and increasing Israeli military incursions in the West Bank have undermined the PA’s popularity among many Palestinians.
The body has been controlled by Fatah since it was formed in the Oslo Accords with Israel in 1993 and it last held parliamentary elections in 2005.
Sheikh, who was imprisoned by Israel for his activities opposing the occupation during the period 1978-89, has worked as the PA’s main contact liaising with the Israeli government under Abbas and been his envoy on visits to world powers.
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3rd Round of Nuclear Talks Between Iran, US Concludes in Oman

Atomic symbol and USA and Iranian flags are seen in this illustration taken, September 8, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
i24 News – The third round of talks between Iran and the United States over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program has concluded on Saturday, US media reported.
The two sides are understood to have discussed the US lifting of sanctions on Iran, with focuses on technical and key topics including uranium enrichment.
On April 12, the US and Iran held indirect talks in Muscat, marking the first official negotiation between the two sides since the US unilaterally withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in May 2018 during President Donald Trump’s first term.
The second round of indirect talks took place in Rome, Italy, on April 19.
All parties, including Oman, stated that the first two rounds of talks were friendly and constructive, but Iranian media pointed out that the first two rounds were mainly framework negotiations and had not yet touched upon the core issues of disagreement.
According to media reports, one of the key issues in the expert-level negotiations will be whether Washington will allow Iran to continue uranium enrichment within the framework of its nuclear program. In response, Araghchi made it clear that Iran’s right to uranium enrichment is non-negotiable.
The US, Israel and other Western actors including the United Nation’s nuclear agency reject Iranian claims that its uranium enrichment is strictly civilian in its goals.
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