#JustIn: Israel Blocks Palestinian Marwan Barghouti’s Release in Gaza Hostage Deal

Israel’s refusal to release Marwan Barghouti, the jailed Palestinian leader often dubbed the “Mandela of Palestine,” in a new Gaza ceasefire deal has ignited fierce debate, casting a shadow over the fragile truce that took effect on Friday, October 10, 2025. As part of the agreement, Hamas is set to free about 20 living Israeli hostages by Monday, while Israel will release roughly 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 others detained without charges over the past two years. But Barghouti, a towering figure in Palestinian politics and a symbol of resistance, is conspicuously absent from the list, prompting Hamas to dig in its heels and critics to cry foul over Israel’s hardline stance.

Barghouti, 66, commands unmatched popularity across Palestinian factions, with polls consistently ranking him as the top choice to succeed the aging, unpopular Mahmoud Abbas as Palestinian Authority president. Born in the West Bank village of Kobar, he rose to prominence as a student activist at Bir Zeit University, organizing protests against Israel’s occupation during the First Intifada in 1987. Deported to Jordan, he returned in the 1990s under Oslo peace accords, only to face arrest in 2002 during the Second Intifada’s bloody peak. Convicted in 2004 for his alleged role in attacks that killed five Israelis, Barghouti—then a Fatah leader—was slapped with five life sentences. Refusing to recognize the Israeli court’s legitimacy, he never mounted a defense but has maintained he’s no terrorist, advocating a two-state solution while defending Palestinians’ right to resist occupation. “I’m not a pacifist, but I dream of peace,” he wrote in a 2002 Washington Post op-ed.

To Palestinians, Barghouti is a unifying force, untainted by the corruption plaguing Abbas’ administration. His 2021 bid to form an independent electoral list and leadership of a 1,500-prisoner hunger strike in 2017 for better jail conditions cemented his stature as a bridge-builder across Hamas-Fatah divides. Experts like Mouin Rabbani argue his release could galvanize Palestinian institutions, a prospect that terrifies Israel’s right-wing government, which opposes statehood and prefers a weakened, divided Palestinian leadership. “Israel wants Abbas docile and Barghouti caged,” Rabbani notes, pointing out that even Abbas fears Barghouti’s clout. Tel Aviv University’s Eyal Zisser adds that Barghouti’s freedom could reshape Palestinian politics, a risk Israel’s leaders won’t take, especially after the 2011 release of Hamas’ Yahya Sinwar led to the October 7, 2023, attack.

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Hamas, locked in talks with mediators, insists Barghouti’s release is non-negotiable, alongside other high-profile prisoners like Islamic Jihad’s Iyad Abu al-Rub, convicted for suicide bombings that killed 13. Israel’s list, published Friday, includes figures like Samir Abu Naama, a Fatah veteran jailed since 1986 for explosives, and Mohammed Abu Qatish, a 19-year-old convicted of an attempted stabbing. Over half face exile to Gaza or abroad, a move Palestinians decry as forced displacement. Israel brands these prisoners terrorists, while Palestinians view them as freedom fighters resisting decades of occupation that’s claimed thousands of lives since the Second Intifada’s 2000-2005 bloodshed.

The snub of Barghouti, last seen in August enduring a prison tirade from Israel’s far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, underscores a deeper Israeli strategy: Keep Palestinian leadership fragmented. Critics argue this betrays the ceasefire’s spirit, with Hamas’ Mousa Abu Marzouk vowing to push for Barghouti’s freedom. As releases unfold, the absence of this charismatic leader—whose vision of resistance and reconciliation echoes Nelson Mandela’s—raises a burning question: Can peace take root when Israel bets against Palestinian unity? With tensions simmering, Barghouti’s cell remains a potent symbol of a dream deferred.

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