Naël Barghouti Says Hamas-Israel Prisoner Exchange Sent Him Into Exile in Egypt

Naël Barghouti, a 68-year-old Palestinian from occupied Cisjordanie, said he “n’a jamais perdu espoir” after more than four decades in Israeli captivity, and he described his fight for liberation as “Nous méritons un État sous le soleil.”

“Toggle Play Freed Palestinian prisoner meets son born through smuggled sperm Read more After spending 25 years in Israeli prisons, Abdul Karim al-Rimawi embraced his son Majd for the first time”

Al Jazeera

Barghouti said that as a condition of a prisoner-exchange agreement signed between Hamas and Israel in January 2025, he had to accept exile and was expelled to Egypt a month later.

Al Jazeera

He told Drop Site that “Sans aucun avertissement préalable, un prisonnier est détenu sans inculpation,” describing arrests he said are followed by “des coups, des fractures et la propagation de maladies infectieuses.”

The same account put the scale of detention at “environ 9300 Palestiniens” held by Israel, noting that “Près de la moitié d’entre eux n’ont pas été inculpés ni jugés.”

It also said at least “87 Palestiniens” have been killed in Israeli prisons since 7 octobre 2023, including cases documented as deaths from torture, bad treatment, or intentional neglect.

After spending 25 years in Israeli prisons, Abdul Karim al-Rimawi embraced his son Majd for the first time, with Majd born in 2013 through sperm smuggled from prison and used in IVF treatment.

Al Jazeera’s account said the release came after “After spending 25 years in Israeli prisons,” and it framed the reunion as the moment Majd “grew up without ever meeting his father, until now.”

Al-Jazeera Net

A separate report said Israeli occupation forces released detainee Abd al-Karim Rimaoui from Beit Reima, northwest of Ramallah, after 25 years in detention, and local sources said forces raided the town shortly before his release.

That report added that Rimaoui was denied the chance to bid farewell to parents who died while he was inside detention facilities, and that he fathered his child Majd during detention through “smuggled sperm.”

It also described the family reunion after his release, saying he met his daughter—who was one year old at the time of his arrest—and met his son Majd, “who was born during his detention.”

In a separate but related prison story, the Paris Court of Appeal ordered the release of Lebanese pro-Palestinian activist Georges Abdallah on July 25 after more than 40 years in French prisons, with RTL saying he was released from Lannemezan Prison (Hauts-Pyrénées) on Friday, July 25, a little after 3:30 a.m.

“Par Jawa Ahmad, Jeremy Scahill Après 45 ans de captivité en Israël, le prisonnier palestinien ayant battu tous les records de temps d’incarcération, parle de son combat pour la libération : « Nous méritons un État sous le soleil”

Chronique de Palestine

RTL reported that the Paris Court of Appeal ordered his release last week on the condition that he leave French territory permanently, and it said the Paris public prosecutor’s office announced a cassation appeal against his release that would not be suspensive.

France 24 said Abdallah arrived in Beirut on Friday, after a convoy of six vehicles left Lannemezan penitentiary around 3:40 a.m. and after Air France flight AF564 took off from Roissy airport.

In his first public statement after reaching Lebanese soil, France 24 quoted him saying, “The children of Palestine are dying of hunger while the millions of Arabs look on as spectators,” and it added, “The resistance must continue and intensify.”

The same France 24 account said the Paris Court of Appeal ordered his release “to take effect from July 25,” and it noted that a cassation appeal announced by the Paris public prosecutor’s office would not prevent him from leaving France.