The "ceasefire" in Gaza holds
...but notice the difference in the treatment and conditions of Palestinian and Israeli prisoners/hostages!
We can finally say that the “ceasefire” in Gaza still holds, after the crisis earlier this week (see this article, in case you missed it) and the hostage/prisoner exchange between Little Satan (a.k.a. Israel) on one side and Hamas and the other Palestinian Resistance factions on the other.
This morning Hamas handed over three Israeli captives in Khan Younis, as per original ceasefire agreement, as reported by Al Mayadeen, whose correspondent noted that the Resistance was showcasing “around ten different weapons captured from the Israeli occupation during the battles” at the prisoner handover site, as well as “images of several of their martyred leaders on the prisoner handover platform, including Mohammad al-Deif, Chief of Staff; Rafeh Salama, Commander of the Khan Younis Brigade; Shadi Baroud, Deputy Intelligence Commander; and Tayseer al-Mubasher, Commander of the Western Battalion of the Khan Younis Brigade”.
Al Mayadeen quoted Hamas spokesperson Abdel Latif al-Qanou as saying that “today’s resumption of the exchange process was in line with the Resistance’s commitment to the mediators” and that…
The occupation [i.e. Israel] has no alternative but to release all its prisoners.
We are waiting for the occupation to begin implementing the humanitarian protocol, as per the promises and guarantees made to us by the mediators.
After the release of the Israeli hostages by the Palestinian Resistance factions, Hamas issued the following statement, as reported on this post of the Resistance News Network (Unofficial) Telegram channel (all emphasis original):
We say to the entire world: No migration except to Al-Quds.
The presence of images of Al-Quds, Al-Aqsa [see lead photo], and the massive crowds during the release of enemy prisoners sends a renewed message to the occupation and its supporters that these are a red line.
The release of the sixth batch of enemy prisoners reaffirms that their freedom can only be secured through negotiations and adherence to the requirements of the ceasefire agreement.
Our people, our nation, and free people around the world witness scenes of strength, pride, and dignity through the honorable prisoner exchange deal achieved by the resistance, which embodies the unity of our people and their resistance.
We are the soldiers, O Al-Quds witness that we remain true to our pledge, steadfast on the battlefield, and committed to the path of liberation with no retreat or compromise.
We say to the entire world: No migration except to Al-Quds. This is our response to all calls for displacement and liquidation made by Trump and those who support his colonial and occupation agenda.
Islamic Resistance Movement - Hamas
Saturday, 16 Sha'ban 1446 AH
Soon after the handover of the Israeli hostages from Hamas to the Red Cross, Little Satan released 369 Palestinians from its prisons, as reported by Al Mayadeen: “333 Palestinian prisoners from the Gaza Strip, arrested by the occupation during the war, along with 36 sentenced to life imprisonment”. However, notice the different treatment and conditions in the photos below, showing the Palestinians prisoners held by Israel in the top row and the Israeli captives held by Hamas in the bottom row.
See also the conditions of Nader Jamal Hussein, one of the Palestinian prisoners freed today by Little Satan in the video below.
After the release of the Palestinian prisoners by Israel, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad issued the following statement, as reported on this post of the Resistance News Network (Unofficial) Telegram channel (all emphasis mine):
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
We strongly condemn the new racist crime committed by the occupation forces against the released Palestinian prisoners, as they forcibly marked their bodies with racist symbols such as the Star of David and the “Shabas” (the emblem of the occupation’s prison service), in blatant violation of all international and humanitarian laws. The occupation authorities did not stop at this disgraceful act but also deliberately broadcasted the images in a degrading manner through their media, in a desperate attempt to break the will of our free prisoners.
This vile, racist, and inhumane behavior reveals the true face of the occupation and exposes its deep-seated hatred. It also reflects its profound sense of defeat in the face of the steadfastness of the resistance forces, which have forced it to submit to their conditions despite its brutality and crimes.
In contrast, the entire world has witnessed how the resistance treated the enemy’s prisoners with respect, with their release appearing almost as an honorable farewell, without any harm inflicted upon them—unlike the systematic humiliation endured by our heroic prisoners.
We affirm that such practices will never break the will of our people, nor will they change the reality that the occupation is doomed to end. The resistance will continue until the complete liberation of our land and the freedom of our courageous prisoners, who remain the guiding stars and beacons of our cause.
And indeed, it is a jihad of victory or martyrdom.
Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine
Saturday, 16 Sha'ban 1446 AH | February 15, 2025
Abu Hamza, spokesperson of Saraya Al-Quds, was quoted on a separate post of the Resistance News Network (Unofficial) Telegram channel (all emphasis mine):
The Palestinian resistance, as it releases a number of enemy prisoners today, confirms the humane treatment of its prisoners, while the enemy specializes in oppressing, torturing, and ruining the joy of our prisoners' freedom until the very last moments of their release. What was seen yesterday in the clear freedom and good treatment of the zionist prisoner Alexander Trufanov by Saraya Al-Quds is the greatest proof of this. [See video below]
What the enemy did today by forcing our prisoners to wear clothes with "We will not forget and we will not forgive" written on them, and the images of their difficult health conditions after their release, only reveals the truth that the unjust world refuses to see — the brutality of the zionist enemy and the abhorrent treatment of its jailers towards our prisoners. The difference is clear and vast between how we treat enemy prisoners and how the enemy treats our free people’s prisoners.
It is required from all the countries of the world, especially the United States of America, which demands the release of all enemy prisoners by the resistance, to also demand this from the occupation, and not ignore the horrifying scenes of suffering, abuse, and the systematic killing of our prisoners, the rightful owners of the land, nation, and sacred cause. These prisoners endure every kind of torture in the occupation's prisons and live in collective graves within them.
Here is the video of the burning of the t-shirts that the Zionists forced their Palestinian prisoners to wear:
“The Israeli Kan public broadcaster claimed that ‘the political leadership was unaware of the prison authority’s decision to impose this uniform on detainees’, acknowledging that the move was problematic given the Israeli occupation's efforts to portray its release of Palestinian prisoners in contrast to Hamas’ handling of Israeli captives”, as per Al Mayadeen. Of course, the Israeli government always tries to slip away from such problematic situations!
Here is a statement from Ahmed Al-Qudra, Director of the Prisoners’ Media Office, commenting on the conditions of the Palestinians freed by Little Satan today, as reported on this post of the Resistance News Network (Unofficial) Telegram channel (all emphasis original):
The waves of freed prisoners continue to break the chains of captivity, restoring freedom to those robbed of it by the occupation, proving that only resistance can impose our people's will and reclaim their rights from the occupier’s grip.
We salute the steadfast resistance that achieved this great victory and imposed its terms on the occupation, demonstrating that our prisoners are not alone and that their freedom is not an unattainable dream but a promise upheld by the resistance fighters' weapons and words.
We commend the sacrifices of the people of Gaza, who have faced aggression with steadfastness, serving as a fortress against invaders, offering immense sacrifices, blending patience with blood, and merging their generosity with steadfastness, making them partners in victory and liberation.
Despite their imprisonment, our prisoners have proven to be unbreakable, emerging from the darkness of detention stronger, more determined, and carrying the torch of freedom despite years of isolation and suffering.
The occupation has not ceased its crimes against prisoners, even in their moments of release, deliberately humiliating, assaulting, and degrading them in a desperate attempt to dampen their joy of freedom. However, the will of the freed prisoners has prevailed.
The severe condition in which the prisoners are released exposes the scale of crimes and violations inside prisons, as the marks of torture and oppression are evident on their bodies. This demands a firm stance to hold the occupation accountable for its crimes.
We call on the international community to reject its double standards regarding the prisoners' cause. Just as the occupation demands the return of its captives, our prisoners have the right to freedom and dignity, and denying this right is complicity with the oppressor.
We emphasize the necessity of an honorable reception for the freed prisoners, recognizing their sacrifices, as they are symbols of steadfastness, pillars of honor, and models of sacrifice for the freedom of land and people.
Ahmed Al-Qudra
Director of the Prisoners’ Media Office
February 15, 2025
After the swap, which happened before noon local time, the President of the Outlaw US Empire (a.k.a. Great Satan), issued the following statement on his Truth social:
As midday has come and gone also at Washington D.C. now and Israel has not taken any bold action, I think it is safe to say that the “ceasefire” in Gaza is still holding.
Heroic report. I feel despair as I witness my country's government and media refusal to recognize the dignity of the Palestinian people and their right of resistence.
Trump's bragadocio is repellent. Israel delenda est.