2 Qassam prisoners released after 15 years in Israeli jail

Two Palestinian detainees affiliated with Hamas’s armed wing, Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, were released from Israeli jails on Thursday evening after they served a 15-year sentence.

A PIC news correspondent said prisoners Rizq Issa and Mohamed Abu Sarra were unshackled by the occupation authorities from the Negev desert lock-up.

The newly-released detainees were received at the southern entrance to Bethlehem by their families, friends, and representatives of national factions, including Hamas.

A car parade was staged, flags lifted, and anti-occupation slogans chanted to celebrate the event.

Speaking shortly after their release, Abu Sarra and Issa called on the Palestinians to rally around the Palestinian resistance and work on releasing the detainees from Israeli prisons.

The two prisoners were kidnapped by the Israeli occupation forces on February 7, 2003, and sentenced to a 15-year jail-term over charges of involvement in anti-occupation operations and working for al-Qassam Brigades.