Death of the Released Prisoner Hamza Younis in Sweden

SadaNews - The released prisoner Hamza Ibrahim Younis (84 years old) passed away in Sweden yesterday, Tuesday, after a long struggle dedicated to serving his national cause, leaving behind a legacy etched in the memory of his comrades and everyone who lived through the stages of the Palestinian cause.

Hamza Younis hails from the village of Ara in the Triangle area and is considered one of the most prominent symbols of the prisoners' movement, as he is known for being the only prisoner who successfully escaped from Israeli prisons three times:

First Escape (1964): He escaped from Ashkelon Prison along with prisoners Makram and Kamal Qassem.

Second Escape (1967): After being re-arrested following his injury in the 1967 War, he managed to escape from the hospital where he was taken for treatment.

Third Escape (1971): He executed a famous escape from Ramla Prison through a laundry window after cutting its iron bars, a process that he documented in his book "Escape from Ramla Prison."

During his years of imprisonment, Younis was known for his repeated defiance of the jailers, often saying: "I will not stay in prison," which he practically translated by managing to escape multiple times, before being re-arrested and sentenced again to several life sentences.

In one of the most notable moments of his journey, before his death, he recounted the details of his third escape, where he exploited a bet with one of the jailers to obtain military boots, concealing a metal saw inside them. He cleverly managed to get the boots back, thus beginning to execute his plan that led to him breaking the chains of prison once more.

Younis lived a life filled with struggle; he was a boxing champion and won the "Israeli Championship" in 1963 before engaging in national work. After his last escape, he moved between several Arab and European countries, where he worked as a political activist within the Palestine Liberation Organization until he settled in Sweden, where he passed away.

With the passing of Hamza Younis, a chapter of a generation that carried the banner during its early stages is closed, while his comrades and townsfolk mourned him, affirming that his memory will remain present in the national consciousness.