During a closed-door session of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Tuesday, a representative of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) revealed that 80% of the terrorists convicted of murder and released in the Gilad Shalit deal have returned to terrorism.
According to the official, half of all prisoners released as part of that 2011 exchange resumed terrorist activity, and since the deal’s implementation, 80% of terrorists serving life sentences have eventually been freed.
Out of 860 terrorists imprisoned for murder-those described as having “blood on their hands”-only 110 remain in Israeli prisons today.
The Shin Bet representative warned committee members of the dangerous implications of repeated releases:
“Every terrorist who receives a life sentence knows he has an 80% chance of being freed in a deal,” he said.
The official also disclosed a policy shift within the agency, stating:
“As the Shin Bet, we have changed our position. The agency’s current stance is that it supports the death penalty for terrorists.”