Ramallah -

With the entry into force of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Islamic Jihad movement in the Gaza Strip last Sunday, after a 3-day confrontation, the movement said that the cease-fire included an Egyptian commitment to work for the release of two prisoners belonging to it.

The movement added that the two prisoners are the leader Bassam Al-Saadi from Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank, and the hunger striker Khalil Al-Awadeh from the town of "Ithna" west of Hebron, in the southern West Bank.

Who are Al-Saadi and Al-Awawdah?

Statement on the ceasefire (Al Jazeera)

Violent arrest of Saadi

The confrontation began in Gaza, after a mutual threat between Israel and the Islamic Jihad movement against the background of the arrest of Al-Saadi in a "violent manner".

As part of a large-scale military operation that left a martyr and wounded in Jenin camp, the Israeli army arrested on the evening of August 1, the 62-year-old political leader Bassam Ragheb Abdul Rahman Al-Saadi.

Al-Saadi's arrest was violent, according to his family, as he was bitten by a police dog and subjected to severe beatings, causing a wound to his head.

Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the jihad, vowed to "respond" to his arrest, and demanded that his family inform a medical committee of his health condition.

Prisoner Bassam Al-Saadi tells the details of his abuse: a ghost for hours while he was blindfolded https://t.co/MmuDfLGZ73

— Arab 48 website (@arab48website) August 9, 2022

political leader

The Islamic Jihad does not announce the locations of its movement leaders in the West Bank, and al-Saadi does not know a specific organizational role within his movement, but he is described as a "prominent political leader", and he is repeatedly arrested "administratively" under a secret file and without a specific charge or trial.

Press coverage: "A video documenting the moment of the arrest of the leader of the Islamic Jihad movement, Sheikh Bassam Al-Saadi, during the storming of Jenin camp."

pic.twitter.com/KUEYxZuNzF

- Quds News Network (@qudsn) August 1, 2022

Doctor and accountant

Al-Saadi is a father of 11 sons and daughters, including two martyrs. He was born in Jenin camp on December 23, 1960, and in UNRWA schools, he completed his primary and secondary education.

In the eighties of the last century, Al-Saadi joined an Italian university to study medicine, but special circumstances forced him to return to Jordan, so he joined the University of Jordan and studied accounting.

The Islamic Jihad movement has threatened Israel to respond to the arrest of the leader, Bassam Al-Saadi.


Banishment to the meadow of flowers

In December 1992, Saadi was among 415 Palestinians from Hamas and Islamic Jihad who were expelled by Israel to Marj al-Zohour, in southern Lebanon.

From here, Al-Saadi's journey of prosecution and arrest began, until the total of his spending in Israeli prisons reached 15 years.

3 martyrs in the house of Saadi

The most difficult station for al-Saadi was the martyrdom of his twin sons, Ibrahim and Abdul Karim (16 years), during clashes in the Jenin refugee camp in 2002.

His mother was also martyred in the hands of the soldiers when they told her - falsely - that her son had been killed and that she should examine the body. She was shocked and died instantly.

Al-Saadi's house was bombed by an Israeli aircraft in the battle of Jenin camp in April 2002.

After a long chase, al-Saadi was arrested in October 2003.

Social figure

Al-Saadi's last arrest before his current arrest was in March 2021, and he was released on the same day.

He is known for Sheikh Al-Saadi as a social figure and a reformer, who enjoys a strong relationship between all the components and factions of the camp.

Al-Saadi is in good health and suffers only from the effects of the violence he suffered during his detention, according to his family.

Rockets launched by Al-Quds Brigades from Gaza towards Israeli targets (European News Agency)

Saadi's wife arrested

The arrest was not limited to Bassam Al-Saadi, but his entire family was subjected to prosecution, and his wife, Nawal Al-Saadi, spent 3 years in detention, as well as his sons Izz Al-Din, Fathi, Yahya and Suhaib, all of whom were pursued and arrested, and Sohaib is still detained.

Khalil Al-Awawda..the strike of more than 160 days

The 40-year-old prisoner, Al-Awawda, belongs to a Palestinian village family from the town of Idna, and in its schools he received his basic and secondary education.

Al-Awawda was arrested on December 27, 2021, and days later he was transferred to administrative detention for 6 months.

On the third of last March, the prisoner began a hunger strike in protest of his administrative detention, which he suspended after 111 days, following promises to limit his detention and release him.

#Palestine |

Anwar Abu Taha: The International Red Cross visited the two prisoners, Sheikh #Bassam_Al-Saadi and #Khalil_Awawda https://t.co/ggwLO4slJO

Al Mayadeen Channel (@AlMayadeenNews) August 10, 2022

Back to strike

However, days after suspending his strike, a new administrative detention order was issued against him for a period of 4 months. On July 2, he decided to return to the strike until his demand was fulfilled, and he is still on strike.

Khalil Al-Awawda is the father of 4 young girls, the oldest of whom is 9 years old.

He is a memorizer of the Noble Qur’an, a local activist and a member of several voluntary campaigns in his town. He spent a total of 13 years in Israeli prisons in 5 arrests on charges of belonging to the Islamic Jihad movement.


exclusion from university

Long years of imprisonment prevented Khalil from completing his studies at Al-Quds Open University, which he joined in 2000 to study economics.

According to the Palestinian Prisoners Club, Al-Awawda is facing difficult health conditions in the Ramle prison clinic, while his treatment or transfer to the hospital continues to be ignored.