Overview
- Palestinian Media Watch reports that at least 160 prisoners released in the first phase of the Gaza peace plan left custody as millionaires, with nearly $70 million paid over the years to the 250 freed inmates.
- According to the group, the Palestinian Authority pays inmates on a sliding scale that reaches up to 12,000 shekels per month for long-term prisoners, with additional payments to immediate family members.
- Named examples include Mohammed Shamasneh with nearly 2 million shekels, Iyad Abu al‑Rub with about 1.07 million, Imad Qawasmeh with more than 1.13 million, and Riyad al‑Amour with about 1.3 million, whom Israel’s foreign ministry says is responsible for nine killings.
- Mahmoud Abbas has not ended the prisoner stipends despite prior U.S. pressure, and PMW’s director contends European funding of other PA salaries effectively frees money for these payments.
- NBC and ABC described public celebrations in Gaza and the West Bank as buses arrived with released detainees, with gunfire reported in the air, and some of those freed were relocated to Egypt.