Fewer than 20% of Palestinians held in Israel released under peace plan

The first phase of the Israel-Gaza peace plan, centred on a hostage-prisoner exchange and ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, sparked highly anticipated jubilation across many Israeli and Palestinian households. Yet the numbers behind the exchange also expose a stark imbalance in who moves freely and who remains behind bars.

As Israel announced the release of its last living hostages this week, closing the chapter on nearly two years of captivity, fewer than one in five Palestinian political prisoners named for release under the same agreement have been freed. The disparity lays bare the discordance at the heart of the conflict.

Under the terms of the deal, Israel freed nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees, including 250 convicted prisoners serving life sentences and 1,700 held without charge since October 2023. Of all Palestinian political prisoners held in Israeli custody, just 17.7 per cent were released under the agreement.

Meanwhile, Israel secured the release of all 20 remaining living Israeli hostages held in Gaza after more than 700 days in captivity. Some have hailed their return as a national triumph and a moment of closure in the war.

In Gaza, the occupied West Bank and annexed East Jerusalem, families awaited the arrival of newly freed Palestinian detainees, some riding in convoys of buses to towns such as Ramallah, Nablus and Jenin. But in Ramallah especially, many families tempered public displays of emotion out of fear of reprisals from Israeli forces. “They told us we cannot celebrate, that there’s no need to do anything,” said Riad Emran, whose brother was removed from the release roster at the last minute. “That’s OK. I’m still hopeful.”

By October 5, 2025, human rights group Addameer reported that Israel was holding 11,100 Palestinians on political grounds. Among them were 3,544 administrative detainees held without formal charges or trial, 400 minors and 53 women. Under the new arrangement, about one third of detainees are held in administrative detention, the highest proportion in more than a decade.

However, Monday’s release still leaves about 1,300 Palestinians from Gaza in Israeli custody, according to a count of detainees last month by Israeli human rights group HaMoked.

But as Palestinians welcome their prisoners home – with some viewed as freedom fighters – many Israelis still consider them terrorists. Reports from the UN, rights groups and detainees detailing conditions while held – of isolation, beatings, insufficient food and untreated illness – have made prisoners prominent symbols of their people’s political struggle.

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Trump v Khan

2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US

2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks

2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit

2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”

2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency

July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”

Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.

Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”

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The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

Classification of skills

A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.

A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.

The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.

From Europe to the Middle East, economic success brings wealth - and lifestyle diseases

A rise in obesity figures and the need for more public spending is a familiar trend in the developing world as western lifestyles are adopted.

One in five deaths around the world is now caused by bad diet, with obesity the fastest growing global risk. A high body mass index is also the top cause of metabolic diseases relating to death and disability in Kuwait, Qatar and Oman – and second on the list in Bahrain.

In Britain, heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s remain among the leading causes of death, and people there are spending more time suffering from health problems.

The UK is expected to spend $421.4 billion on healthcare by 2040, up from $239.3 billion in 2014.

And development assistance for health is talking about the financial aid given to governments to support social, environmental development of developing countries.