Israel Releases Longest-serving Palestinian Prisoner

Karim Younis (AFP)
Karim Younis (AFP)
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Israel Releases Longest-serving Palestinian Prisoner

Karim Younis (AFP)
Karim Younis (AFP)

Israel released the longest-serving Palestinian prisoner Karim Younis, who spent 40 years in Israeli prisons.

Younis was released on the roadside of a Jewish town without any means of communication, but he finally arrived in his hometown, where a grand reception and celebration were held for him.

“I got out of prison and left behind my heart with my comrades in captivity,” Younis told the crowd gathering in the Palestinian village of Ara within Israel.

Israeli police authorities and the Israel Prison Service held a meeting on the eve of Younis’ release at the office of the Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

At the meeting, it was decided that Younis should not be released at the penitentiary’s main gate but must instead be dropped off at a location that turned out to be a bus station in Ranana, a town north of Tel Aviv.

According to one of the relatives, after being dropped off at the station, Younis met by chance with Palestinian workers from the West Bank who helped him reach out to his relatives.

Younis was eventually picked up by a relative and brought to his hometown of Ara, where he was celebrated as a hero.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh, Speaker of the Palestinian National Council Rawhi Fattouh, the Fatah movement, and the rest of the factions congratulated Younis on his freedom.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Younis “represents a symbol of the Palestinian people and the free people of the world in steadfastness.”

The Israeli government had prevented his release for 40 years, despite the conclusion of 18 prisoner exchange deals.

Moreover, authorities examined legal means that would allow them to exile Younis or put him under administrative detention. Eventually, they decided to refer to the attorney general justice to strip him of his Israeli citizenship.

Younis, however, openly said he won’t be trying to get his hands on an Israeli passport which he said was the “world’s worst travel document.”

“Anyone with an Israeli passport is faced with hatred from anyone who considers themselves free,” he said.



Rubio Says US Hostage Envoy’s Direct Meeting with Hamas Was ‘One-Off’

Envoy for Hostages Adam Boehler speaks during a US hostage and wrongful detainee flag raising ceremony at the State Department in Washington, DC, on March 6, 2025. (AFP)
Envoy for Hostages Adam Boehler speaks during a US hostage and wrongful detainee flag raising ceremony at the State Department in Washington, DC, on March 6, 2025. (AFP)
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Rubio Says US Hostage Envoy’s Direct Meeting with Hamas Was ‘One-Off’

Envoy for Hostages Adam Boehler speaks during a US hostage and wrongful detainee flag raising ceremony at the State Department in Washington, DC, on March 6, 2025. (AFP)
Envoy for Hostages Adam Boehler speaks during a US hostage and wrongful detainee flag raising ceremony at the State Department in Washington, DC, on March 6, 2025. (AFP)

President Donald Trump's hostage envoy Adam Boehler's direct meetings with Palestinian militant group Hamas on the release of hostages in Gaza was a "one-off situation" and as of now "hasn't borne fruit," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday.

"That was a one-off situation in which our special envoy for hostages, whose job it is to get people released, had an opportunity to talk directly to someone who has control over these people and was given permission and encouraged to do so. He did so," Rubio told reporters en route to Saudi Arabia.

"As of now, it hasn't borne fruit. Doesn't mean he was wrong to try, but our primary vehicle for negotiations on this front will continue to be Mr. Witkoff and the work he's doing through Qatar," Rubio said, in reference to Trump's special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff.

The discussions between Boehler and Hamas broke with a decades-old policy by Washington against negotiating with groups the US brands as terrorist organizations.

A senior Hamas official on Sunday told Reuters that the meetings between Hamas leaders and Boehler in recent days focused on the release of an American-Israeli dual national being held by the group in Gaza.

Boehler told CNN on Sunday that the talks were "very helpful" and, in an interview with Israel's N12 TV channel, he said that the Trump administration was focused on getting all the remaining 59 hostages out and ending the war.

Witkoff told reporters at the White House last week that gaining the release of Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old from New Jersey believed to be the last living American hostage held by Hamas in Gaza, was a "top priority for us".

Hamas carried out a cross-border raid into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, triggering an Israeli offensive into the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials.

Hamas fighters killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.