The systematic targeting of Palestinian prisoners released under the 2011 “Wafa al-Ahrar” exchange deal, commonly known as the Shalit Deal, has reignited outrage across Palestinian society, with rights advocates warning that Israel is waging a campaign of retribution aimed at silencing former detainees and dismantling collective resilience.
Hassan Abed Rabbo, spokesperson for the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, condemned the assassinations as a grave breach of the agreement that secured the release of over a thousand prisoners in exchange for a captured Israeli soldier. At least 32 of those freed in the deal have since been killed in Gaza, including six ex-prisoners struck in Israeli air raids on displacement camps in Khan Younis and Al-Zawaida.
“This is not just a crime, it is a message,” Abed Rabbo said. “A warning to future prisoners: your freedom is conditional, and your life remains under threat.”
Among those killed were men from nearly every corner of the West Bank: Hebron, Jenin, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Ramallah, and Nablus. Their deaths, mourned by communities that once celebrated their release, reflect what many see as an Israeli strategy to erase symbols of steadfastness and break the spirit of resistance.
Israel’s far-right ministers have made no secret of their intentions. The policy of pursuing and eliminating former prisoners aligns with calls for open execution, echoing rhetoric that dehumanises Palestinian detainees and undermines any future for negotiated exchanges.
For Palestinians, this is more than a violation of a deal, it is a betrayal of trust and a chilling precedent. It turns freedom into a temporary illusion and paints every ex-prisoner as a target, even after years of captivity. And in doing so, it sends a stark message: under occupation, even liberation offers no safety.
Source : Safa News
