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The New York Times: Freed Palestinians Were Mostly Young and Not Convicted of Crimes.Israel released a total of 240 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in exchange for 105 hostages freed by Hamas during a weeklong pause in hostilities.
A New York Times analysis of data on the Palestinians released showed that a majority of them had not been convicted of a crime. There were 107 teenagers under 18, including three girls. Another 66 teenagers were 18 years old. The oldest person released was a 64-year-old woman.
Israel detained all of the people on the list for what it said were offenses related to Israel’s security, from throwing stones to more serious accusations like supporting terrorism and attempted murder. More than half of the cases were being prosecuted in Israeli military courts, which try Palestinians in the occupied West Bank but not Israeli settlers who live there.
Nearly all Palestinians tried in Israeli military courts are convicted, and those accused of security offenses can be imprisoned indefinitely without charge or trial. Israel has defended these practices as necessary for maintaining its security, but international human rights groups have widely criticized them as violating international law and said they are used to suppress Palestinian political activity and expression.
Of the 110 Palestinians left on the Israeli list of potential releases under another pause and swap, 12 are women, and 15 are boys under 18. The remainder are men ages 18 and 19.
But the prospects for such an agreement remained unclear on Friday, as both Hamas and Israel blamed each other for the breakdown of the truce.
The entire article can be read at the link https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/01/world/middleeast/palestinian-prisoners-released-gaza.html
