Despite more than two decades in an Israeli jail, Marwan Barghouti remains the most popular Palestinian leader. For The National, CBC’s Margaret Evans explains why some say his release is key to peace in the region — and why that would be a hard ask for Israel.
Marwan Barghouti is not among the prisoners Israel intends to release under the new ceasefire deal in Gaza
The most popular and potentially unifying Palestinian leader — Marwan Barghouti — is not among the prisoners Israel intends to free in exchange for hostages held by Hamas under the new Gaza ceasefire deal.
Israel has also rejected freeing other high-profile prisoners whose release Hamas has long sought, though it was not immediately clear if a list of about 250 prisoners issued Friday on the Israeli government’s official website was final.
Senior Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk told the Al Jazeera TV network that the group insists on the release of Barghouti and other high-profile figures and that it was in discussions with mediators.
WATCH | Palestinians return home: Palestinians returning to homes in Gaza, IDF pulling back to ceasefire line Duration 2:46 Many Palestinians returned en masse to their home
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