Israel says prisoner swap under Gaza ceasefire will not include jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti

JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL

A prisoner exchange with Palestinians under a Gaza ceasefire deal will not include detained Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, an Israeli government spokesperson said Thursday.

“At this stage, Barghouti will not be part of this release,” Shosh Badrusian told a press conference.

Barghouti, 66, a senior leader of President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah group, is one of the most prominent and popular figures in Palestinian politics.

He has been serving five life sentences in Israeli prisons since 2002 on charges related to the Second Intifada, which began in 2000.

Israel’s Security Cabinet convened early Thursday to vote on the agreement with Hamas under US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan. Phase one of the agreement includes an Israeli withdrawal to an agreed line and a prisoner exchange.

On Sept. 29, Trump unveiled a 20-point plan for Gaza that includes the release of all Israeli captives in exchange for around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, a permanent ceasefire, and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the entire Gaza Strip.

Phase two of the plan calls for establishing a new governing mechanism in Gaza without Hamas’ participation, the formation of a security force made up Palestinians and troops from Arab and Islamic countries, and the disarmament of Hamas. It also stipulates Arab and Islamic funding for the new administration and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, with limited participation from the Palestinian Authority.

Arab and Muslim countries have welcomed the plan, but some officials have also said that many details in it need discussion and negotiations to be fully implemented.