The Israeli prime minister’s office unilaterally removed Marwan Barghouti’s name from the prisoner exchange list at the last minute, endangering the Gaza ceasefire deal’s implementation, a source close to the prominent Palestinian prisoner told Middle East Eye.
Barghouti, who is the most popular Palestinian political figure according to polls, was one of the most valuable names to potentially be traded for the 48 Israeli captives in Gaza.
A source close to Barghouti and his family told MEE that last night mediators, including US envoy Steve Witkoff, signed off on a prisoner list that included Barghouti.
However, on Thursday, an Israeli spokesperson told reporters that “at this point that he will not be part of this release”.
Barghouti’s name appears to have been unilaterally removed by the Israeli prime minister’s office, the source said.
Ahmed Saadat, a leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Hassan Salama, a senior Hamas official, and Abdullah Barghouti, a Hamas leader not related to Marwan, also had their names removed from the list, Middle East Eye understands.
Their removal causes potential problems for the ceasefire agreement, as negotiators push to have their names restored.
Barghouti’s freedom is said to be a red line for Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who could imperil Benjamin Netanyahu’s government if he takes his MPs out of the governing coalition.
However, MEE understands that Barghouti’s wife remains in Cairo lobbying negotiators to ensure her husband is included in the prisoner exchange.
A Hamas official told Al Jazeera that mediators are working on reaching an agreement on the prisoners to be released.
“We will hold a national dialogue with Palestinian factions to align our position regarding Israel’s response to the prisoners’ names,” the official said.
According to the ceasefire deal agreed between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday night, the Israeli captives will be released in exchange for 2,000 Palestinians in Israeli prisons – 1,700 of whom are men, women, and children seized from Gaza and held without charge.
Barghouti has been in prison since 2004 and has been in solitary confinement since Israel’s genocide in Gaza began in October 2023.
A senior figure in Fatah, the party that dominates the Palestinian Authority (PA), he was targeted by Israel due to his leading role in the 2000-2005 Second Intifada and his popularity among the public.
Opinion polls suggest that Barghouti, 66, would be a shoo-in for the Palestinian presidency if elections were held and he were able to run for office.
He is seen as a unifying figure despite identifying with Fatah, which is associated with the deeply unpopular PA.
Egypt and Qatar urged his release
In January, MEE reported that Egypt and Qatar, alongside Hamas, were using “all means available” to secure Barghouti’s release as part of a Gaza ceasefire agreement.
A source close to the negotiations told MEE that his name was one of the top figures that would be traded for Israeli captives taken on 7 October 2023 in the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel.
Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Major General Hassan Mahmoud Rashad, the director of Egypt’s General Intelligence Services, personally interceded to push for his release, sources said.
However, a source previously told MEE that senior PA officials wanted him excluded from any exchange, fearing it could threaten the leadership of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
In August, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir visited Barghouti in prison and was filmed threatening him that Israel will “obliterate” anyone who opposes it.
It was the first time that Barghouti, who appeared aged and gaunt, had been seen publicly in years.
In the video, Ben Gvir is seen telling Barghouti: “Whoever messes with the people of Israel, whoever murders our children, whoever murders our women, we will obliterate them. You will not defeat us.”
Source: MEE
