Prisoner Ibrahim Abu Makh from Baqa Al-Gharbiyye Gains Freedom After 40 Years of Imprisonment

SadaNews - Prisoner Ibrahim Abu Makh (65 years old) from the city of Baqa Al-Gharbiyye has gained his freedom after spending forty years in Israeli prisons.

The Palestinian Authority for Prisoners and Released Prisoners reported that "the release of Abu Makh comes as a culmination of a long journey of steadfastness and suffering inside the prisons, where he is considered among the oldest prisoners who have spent decades behind bars."

They stated that "this moment embodies a victory for the will of freedom that remained steadfast despite the harsh conditions and violations faced by the prisoners."

It pointed out that "the released prisoner faced harsh humanitarian conditions during his detention, including isolation and medical neglect, but he remained steadfast in his positions and national rights."

In conclusion of its statement, the authority renewed its call to "intensify efforts to release all prisoners, especially the older ones," affirming that "their case will remain a top national priority until their full freedom is achieved."

Prisoner Ibrahim Abu Makh

Since childhood, Abu Makh has strived to be strong in his spirit, steadfast just as his imprisoned body. He was destined to live his childhood without a father or mother after they passed away, leaving him and his sister to learn lessons from life. Despite everything, he completed his primary and secondary education in the schools of his hometown, Baqa Al-Gharbiyye.

He was born on February 26, 1960, and grew up in social conditions that forced him to be responsible, belonging only to his sister after the passing of their parents, which led him to immerse himself in reading and finish his university studies before joining the workforce in various places where he found opportunities for a decent living.

Initially, Abu Makh took up woodworking as his craft, owning a small carpentry shop near his home from which he made a living, embodying other meanings of patience, contentment, and triumph over life's challenges.

Israeli authorities arrested both prisoner Ibrahim Abu Makh and his cousin Rushdi Abu Makh on March 24, 1986, while prisoner Walid Daka (62 years old) was arrested on March 15 (he was martyred in the Israeli prisons on April 7, 2024, after suffering from cancer and the deliberate medical neglect and spent nearly 40 years in prison, and Israeli authorities still withhold his body and refuse to release it for burial in his hometown), and prisoner Ibrahim Bayadseh was arrested on the 28th of the same month.

These prisoners were convicted by Israel of "membership in a cell that carried out the kidnapping and killing of Israeli soldier Moshe Tamam in 1985" and are regarded as some of the oldest Palestinian prisoners who were arrested before the "Oslo Accords". They are among the fourth batch of prisoners that Israel was supposed to release following agreements reached between the Palestinian and Israeli sides under American mediation, but the Israeli authorities reneged on that at the time and did not release them.

The Israeli public prosecution had charged the four prisoners with "kidnapping soldier Moshe Tamam and killing him from Netanya in early 1985, receiving military training in Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine bases in Syria, and they were sentenced to life imprisonment, of which they have served 35 years until now."