Son of Hamas Founder Warns Against Mass Prisoner Release in Hostage Deal
The son of a Hamas founder has warned of the dangers of freeing dangerous Arab prisoners as part of a ceasefire in Gaza.
“The only card in Hamas’s hands today is the hostages – they want the release of hundreds if not thousands of mass murderers from Israeli prisons,” Mosab Hassan Yousef tells the Telegraph.
“The most dangerous Hamas leaders today are not in Qatar or Turkey – they are in Israeli prisons. That includes my father. And Hamas wants to force Israel – using the international community and the global pressure – to release mass murderers of the caliber of Sinwar. They want them released back to the streets, can you imagine?”
As the eldest son of Hamas co-founder Sheikh Hassan Yousef, he was expected to follow his father’s path within the terror organization. Instead, at 17, he chose to work with Shin Bet, becoming one of their most valuable intelligence sources during the second intifada.
His father has spent over 25 years behind Israeli bars after multiple arrests spanning two decades, according to the Palestinian Information Centre. His latest arrest came on October 19, 2023, when Israeli security forces detained him during their crackdown on Hamas following the October 7 massacre that left more than 1,200 people dead and saw 254 others taken hostage in Gaza.
“We are talking about some very dangerous people – even if they are released abroad they can continue forming and creating terrorist cells and attacking Jews worldwide,” Yousef warned.
Recent history appears to support Yousef’s concerns. Following last November’s temporary ceasefire, which saw 81 hostages exchanged for 240 Arab prisoners, one of them carried out an attack in Judea and Samaria last August.
Meanwhile, as Qatar, Egypt, and the US continue to mediate negotiations in Doha, both sides have accused each other of hindering progress. While Hamas claims Israel is adding ‘new conditions,’ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu maintains that Hamas is retracting from previously reached understandings, including providing a list of living hostages.”
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