Palestinian woman disfigured in attempted suicide bomb could be released in hostage deal
Israel could release a Palestinian woman who disfigured herself in an attempted bombing as part of its deal to free hostages captured by Hamas.
Israa Riad Jabes became a cause célèbre for some Palestinians following the failed attack in Jerusalem in 2015, after which the Israeli authorities refused her requests for plastic surgery for her badly mutilated face.
She was sentenced to 11 years in prison after a gas cylinder she was carrying exploded at a police checkpoint, injuring a police officer.
She is on a list provided by Israel of 300 Palestinians who might be released, of whom 150 are expected to walk free in return for 50 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7, following Thursday’s breakthrough in negotiations.
Also possibly set for release is Nafooz Jad Hammad, who was beginning a 12-year sentence for stabbing her Jewish teacher when she was 14 years old.
Her victim, Maria Cohen, has already spoken out against the deal, describing it as “humiliating”.
Ms Cohen is among a backlash of Israeli families angry at the agreement, some of whom were on Wednesday threatening to launch a legal challenge to prevent it.
It came as police in East Jerusalem were reportedly on alert to prevent “victory” celebrations among Palestinians.
The US, Qatar and Egyptian-brokered deal will see three roughly three incarcerated Palestinians released for every Israeli or international hostage held in Gaza, as well as a four-day pause in the fighting and extra aid for the beleaguered enclave.
A similar ratio is expected to govern any further extensions of the deal.
Israel has said it is willing to extend the pause in fighting in return for 10 hostages per day.
Hamas said the truce with Israel will begin at 10am local time on Thursday.
It is thought that 287 of the 300 Palestinian prisoners who could be released are males aged 18 or under.
A large proportion are being detained for stone-throwing and similar offences.
Among the 13 women adult women on the list, most have been imprisoned for stabbing.
Nafooz Jad Arad Hammad, 16, stabbed Ms Cohen in front of her five children and husband, who was also slightly injured, in 2021.
“Why do my child have to see the person who tried to murder me? I am still mentally ill and so are my children. Something is not right here,” she told Ynet news website.
“I am shocked, this is great anger and contempt for my life and that of my children.”
The Israeli public has 24 hours to contest the release of Palestinian prisoners.
One group of terrorist victims said on Wednesday morning that they would file a petition with the High Court of Justice at noon today against the deal on principle.
In a letter to Yariv Levin, the justice minister, Meir Indoor, the founder of the Almagor Terror Victims Association, and board member Dr Aryeh Bachrach wrote that the group believes “the same landmines and surprises in the agreement were [present] in almost every other [hostage] deal in the past.”
The court is expected to reject the petition, as it did with petitions against the deal to free Gilad Shalit from Gaza in 2011 in exchange for over 1,000 Palestinian security prisoners.
Addameer, a Palestinian NGO, said that about 200 boys, most of them teenagers, were in Israeli detention as of this week, along with roughly 75 women and five teenage girls.
Before October 7, about 150 boys and 30 women and girls were in Israeli prisons, it said
James Marlow, a Middle East security analyst, said he understood that, in addition to Israa Riad Jabes, there were two other individuals on the list of Palestinian prisoners who had attempted to become suicide bombers.
“It is believed that this Israel - Hamas deal, which is expected to begin Thursday morning, will raise the popularity of Palestinian Hamas in Judea & Samaria (West Bank) where the support of the Ramallah Palestinian Authority led by Mahmoud Abbas is at an all-time low,” he said.
Other commentators said the population of Gaza was less interested in the identities of the prisoners, but are instead desperate for the war to end.
