January 19, 2025
Gaza will Free us all
STATEMENT ON THE RELEASE OF PALESTINIAN PRISONERS IN PHASE ONE OF THE CEASEFIRE
As we begin to watch the joyful scenes of the release of an expected 3,000 Palestinian prisoners from Zionist prisons in phase one of the ceasefire, we are reminded that the release of Palestinian prisoners has been made possible through the resistance and resilience of our people in Gaza.
For over 75 years, the Zionist entity has used prisons as a means to destroy the Palestinian revolution—imprisoning those who dare to resist, from political leaders, to educators, to youth. Through its prison system, Israel tries to break the Palestinian spirit and commitment to struggle.
After October 7, 2023, conditions for Palestinian prisoners worsened dramatically. The escalation of torturous conditions in existing Zionist prisons as a form of collective punishment was coupled with the creation of new prison camps, most notoriously Sde Teiman, where Palestinians were subjected to unimaginable forms of physical torture, sexual abuse, and psychological abuse.
But even amidst the most brutal conditions, the prisoners’ movement refused to be severed from the national struggle, and the Palestinian resistance never abandoned the plight of Palestinian prisoners. Liberating the occupation’s prisons has always been a core goal of the Palestinian struggle, and a key victory for resistance when achieved. History has taught us that the freedom of prisoners is only acquired through struggle, with hunger strikes, prison breaks, and prisoner exchanges notably used to secure the freedom of prisoners.
From the prisoner exchange of 1983, which released over 4,700 prisoners, to the Jibril Agreement of 1985 which released 1,150 prisoners, to the Gilad Shalit Exchange of 2011 which released 1,027 prisoners, prisoner exchanges are a victory for the Palestinian people. Prisoner exchanges reunite prisoners with their loved ones, and also reinvigorate the struggle: allowing for the freedom of future political leaders.
The symbolic significance of these reunions cannot be underestimated. The scenes are so powerful that Israel announced it is “banning displays of joy” as prisoners are shuttled to Gaza or the West Bank for release. This ban is an effort by Israel to prevent these moments of reunification from taking hold in the Palestinian collective conscience. Undoubtedly, Israel will fail in its attempt.
This historic mass release has only been made possible by Gaza’s steadfastness and resistance which secured a deal which may see the largest number of freed prisoners ever. History has shown us that the Palestinian people have never and will never wait for the occupier to grant them freedom, but instead will continue to forcefully reclaim it by any means necessary. The previous exchange deals, the Freedom Tunnel operation, and the Great March of Return are but a few examples of how Palestinians have always refused to wait for the world to “wake up” to their plight, and have rather forged ahead on their own path of struggle and sacrifice to secure our people’s freedom.