An uneasy relief for the families of freed Palestinian prisoners

At Hanan Barghouti’s home, her three daughters come to see their father every day to ease his loneliness.

Barghouti has been in Israeli custody for over two months.

And since 7 October, her family have not been allowed to contact her as Israeli prison authorities launched a brutal crackdown on Palestinian detainees. 

But as news of a prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Palestinians started to emerge, the mood shifted at the Barghouti household.

Though the family has not officially been notified of Hanan’s release by Thursday night, the mother of seven and grandmother of 16 is set to walk free on Friday evening.

“When I saw her name on the list of those scheduled to be released, I felt great relief,” Muhammad Barghouti, Hanan’s husband, told Middle East Eye.

To read the full story from Fayha Shalash, one of our correspondents in the West Bank, click here.