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With the announcement on Wednesday evening that Israel and Hamas agreed to implement the first phase of US President Donald Trump's peace plan for Gaza, Hamas' demand that prominent Palestinian prisoners be included in any hostage swap deal has once again come to the fore.
One of the most high-profile names on the list was Marwan Barghouti, a man who has been behind bars for more than two decades as Israeli authorities sentenced him to consecutive life terms in prison and still regard him as a terrorist mastermind.
Barghouti's release was a "red line" for Israel in the latest peace talks, no matter how hard Hamas tried, Israeli intelligence circles told Euronews on Wednesday.
This was confirmed by Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian, who told reporters on Thursday, “I can tell you at this point in time that he will not be part of this release."
Letting some of the highest-profile Palestinian prisoners walk free is too great a risk to Israel, as it worries that history will repeat itself.
Senior Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was released in a 2011 exc
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