369 security prisoners were released today (Saturday) from Israeli prisons and transferred to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the Gaza Strip.
Following the directive of the Israeli Prison Service Commissioner, Commissioner Kobi Yaakobi, the released prisoners were dressed in shirts with the Star of David and Arabic writing: 'We will not forget, we will not forgive.'
Ahmed Barghouti, a close aide to Marwan Barghouti, was among the terrorists released under the hostage deal. Barghouti, who was sentenced to 13 life terms, was arrested along with Marwan in Ramallah in 2002. He served as the operational commander of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, the military arm of Fatah, and was responsible for supplying weapons to the organization's cells.
Barghouti was convicted of sending terrorists to several deadly attacks, including the attack at the Seafood Market restaurant in Tel Aviv in March 2002, which claimed the lives of three Israelis and injured 30 others. He was also convicted of the attack in Neve Yaakov neighborhood in Jerusalem in February 2002, in which a policewoman was killed and nine were injured, and the attack on Jaffa Road in Jerusalem where two women were murdered.
Another terrorist, Mazen al-Qadi, a Fatah operative convicted of transporting the terrorist who carried out the Seafood Market attack, was released alongside Shadi Abu Shhadeh, a Fatah operative who was one of the planners of the suicide bombing at Mahane Yehuda market in Jerusalem in 2002, which killed six people and injured dozens. Abu Shhadeh was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Amjad Takatka, another Fatah operative, serving six life sentences and an additional 20 years for his involvement in the Mahane Yehuda attack, was also included in the list of released prisoners.
The list also included Mohammad Maslah, a Tanzim operative who was sentenced to nine life terms. Maslah participated in the lynching in Ramallah in 2000, in which two IDF soldiers were murdered, and was involved in the murder of eight other Israelis in various shooting attacks in the Jerusalem area. He also planned a series of other attacks in which more than 50 Israelis were injured.
An IPS spokesperson stated: 'The Israel Prison Service concluded the release of terrorists, as part of Operation 'Wings of Liberty' to bring the hostages home. As part of Operation 'Derech Eretz,' 369 terrorists were transferred from several detention facilities across the country for processing at Ofer and Ketziot prisons, escorted by the IPS's Nachshon Unit and with the assistance of the Israel Police.'
'After completing the reception process and receiving the approval of Israel's political leadership, all the terrorists were released from Ofer prison towards Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, and from Ketziot towards the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza. The prison service is releasing the terrorists according to the plan agreed upon for the return of the hostages, in full cooperation with all security forces."