A Hamas Leader’s Release From Prison Reopens Old Wounds in Israel
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A man convicted over his role in a deadly 2002 bombing was released in one of the recent cease-fire exchanges, which have created intense, conflicting emotions for Israelis and Palestinians.
The moment Ashraf Zughayer, a Hamas leader in Israeli prison, heard in October 2023 that Palestinian militants had taken hostages, he knew his life sentence for murdering six people in Tel Aviv could soon be wiped away, he said.
It took more than a year. But in late January, as part of the cease-fire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas, Mr. Zughayer, 46, rode through the streets of East Jerusalem on a truck festooned with green Hamas flags, surrounded by jubilant supporters.
Thirty miles away, Tova Sisso, whose mother was killed in the Tel Aviv attack, watched with horror. Her mother, Rozana, had survived the Holocaust only to be killed in a 2002 suicide bombing that Mr. Zughayer helped orchestrate.
“Seeing him being celebrated like this tears open a deep wound all over again,” Ms. Sisso said. “My joy in life was stolen from me that day.”
Since the truce began last month, Israelis and Palestinians have been gripped by images of emotional homecomings that have summoned a welter of pain, happiness, frustration and grief. The scenes cut to the heart of how many on both sides understand the cycle of violence that has haunted their families for decades.
For Israelis, watching freed hostages reunite with relatives has been a rare moment of national catharsis since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack that killed 1,200 people, saw 250 taken hostage and ignited the devastating war in Gaza. But they have also been angered and deeply dismayed by the release of Palestinian prisoners like Mr. Zughayer in exchange.