Empty chairs bearing the photos and names of the prisoners were set up in the room at Al Janiah, a Palestinian community space, highlighting their forced absence at the hands of the Israeli occupation regime, which attempts to separate them from their people. Historic posters chronicling the history of the Sabra and Shatila massacre of 1982, in which upwards of 4,000 Palestinian and Lebanese lives were taken by Phalangist militiamen, overseen by Israeli invading armies in Beirut.
The event was covered by Al Jazeera:
Rawa Alsagheer, the coordinator of Samidoun Brasil, said: “The Freedom Tunnel operation confirmed the will and determination of the Palestinian prisoners, and the determination of the prisoners’ movement in the occupation prisons to extract freedom in all forms, even if it sometimes seems impossible and difficult to us outside…We in Samidoun Network view the Palestinian prisoners’ movement in the occupation prisons as standing on the front lines of struggle. We also consider that the prisoners are the solid core of the Palestinian resistance movement, especially that they are from the West Bank and Gaza Strip, from occupied Palestine ‘48, Jerusalem and outside.”
The event also included a screening of “3000 Nights,” Mai Masri’s feature film illustrating the lives of Palestinian women prisoners inside Israeli prisons. Alsagheer also spoke about Palestinian women prisoners behind bars today, including Israa Jaabis, who was severely injured and requires significant ongoing medical care, denied by the Israeli occupation, as well as Khalida Jarrar, Khitam Saafin, and all 40 imprisoned Palestinian women.
Participants held the posters of the prisoners in an expression of popular solidarity with them, expressing the inspiration they received from the self-liberation of the six prisoners of the Freedom Tunnel, Mahmoud al-Ardah, Mohammed al-Ardah, Zakaria Zubaidi, Yaqoub Qadri, Ayham Kamamji and Munadil Naf’at. While the six have since been re-captured by occupation forces, they continue to represent a source of hope and the resilience of the Palestinian will to freedom.
“From the first moment of the exceptional action for liberation, our Palestinian people expressed, in private and in public, their embrace of the “Freedom Tunnel” group and their support for the resistance and the prisoners’ movement. The people are with them,” Alsagheer said. “Prisons will continue to exist as long as the occupation continues. Therefore, the essential goal is liberation, the liberation of humanity, the liberation of the land, and the restoration of all of the rights of the Palestinian people. Without that, colonialism will continue to build prisons — and the Palestinian people will continue to resist until they win.”
Samidoun Brasil is continuing to organize in support of Palestinian prisoners and the liberation of Palestine, from the river to the sea.
In the early morning hours of 19 September, Israeli occupation forces seized the self-liberated Palestinian prisoners, Ayham Kamamji and Munadil Naf’at, after the occupation forces besieged a home in Jenin. Youth in Jenin confronted the occupation forces and resisted their invasion of the city; the occupation forces also seized two disabled residents of Jenin as well as another young Palestinian man, according to Palestinian media.
The invading occupation forces also injured a young Palestinian man, shooting him in the leg as they invaded the city of Jenin from several points. Earlier in the day, Palestinians in Jenin organized multiple marches and demonstrations in support of the two self-liberated prisoners and their four comrades, Mahmoud al-Ardah, Mohammed al-Ardah, Zakaria Zubaidi, and Yaqoub Qadri, who were re-arrested by the Israeli occupation one week prior.
We have every reason to believe that Ayham Kamamji and Munadil Naf’at will be subjected to severe torture and abuse by Israeli interrogators, especially given the beatings endured by Mohammed and Mahmoud al-Ardah, Qadri and Zubaidi, with Zubaidi suffering from a fractured jaw and broken ribs. Meanwhile, Palestinian prisoners continue to resist heavy penalties imposed upon them following the escape of their brothers, including denial of family visits, denial of “canteen” (prison store) access, and isolation and solitary confinement.
It is critical to continue to organize, demonstrate and protest to defend and demand the immediate liberation of the six heroes of the Freedom Tunnel and all 4,650 Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails.
The heroism of the six Palestinian prisoners, who dug their Freedom Tunnel over nine months using any tools at hand to achieve their freedom, made clear that despite the technological and military advantages enjoyed by the Zionist occupation, it is anything but invincible. The Palestinian will toward freedom and indominable spirit was able to use makeshift tools to pry a way out from Gilboa prison, previously renowned as an impenetrable fortress.
In their interviews with their lawyers, Mahmoud and Mohammed al-Ardah, Yaqoub Qadri and Zakaria Zubaidi made it clear that they would never give up on freedom and that their self-liberation operation was worth their suffering. They made clear to the occupation forces themselves, to the Palestinian and Arab people and to the world that the military might of the occupier can be overwhelmed by the creativity of Palestinian humanity.
Building on the experiences of Palestinian prisoners who liberated themselves in the past, they exposed the crumbling edifices of the Israeli occupation and forced them to waste tens of millions of dollars in their massive manhunt. Their bravery and commitment to freedom is celebrated throughout Palestine, from the river to the sea, and everywhere around the world. Spoons – symbols of the rusty kitchen tools they used to dig their way to liberation – have come to represent the irrepressible drive to freedom. Their capture by the Israeli occupation does nothing to dim the light of their heroism and the inspiration they provide for the future of the liberation struggle.
Mahmoud, Mohammed, Zakaria, Yaqoub, Ayham and Munadil will not be forgotten behind bars; indeed, the Palestinian resistance has already made clear that the heroes of the Freedom Tunnel will be included in all future prisoner exchanges between the resistance and the occupation, committing to ensure their freedom.
**
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network emphasizes and amplifies the call of the Palestinian prisoners’ movement to stand with the Palestinian prisoners and the Palestinian people today to demand justice and liberation for Palestine, from the river to the sea.
The Freedom Tunnel and the six heroes of the self-liberation operation represent the irrepressible hope of freedom and commitment to liberation that no amount of militarized repression and Zionist colonization has suppressed, for over 73 years. The actions of this “Freedom Brigade” are not only a symbol of hope for Palestinians but also for everyone in the world who seeks justice and freedom.
The rearrest of the six self-liberated prisoners has done nothing to dim the light of liberation that they represent for humanity or to lessen the blow they have dealt to the mirage of Israeli invincibility and security control. They reflect the unbreakable Palestinian will to live, struggle and thrive in the most seemingly impossible circumstances.
Western imperialist governments are part and parcel of the ongoing attacks against Palestinian prisoners and the colonization of Palestine. From the U.S.’ over $3.8 billion annually in weaponry provided to the Israeli regime to the ongoing economic, political and diplomatic support provided by the European Union, Canada, the United Kingdom and others, all of these states are directly involved in the ongoing crimes perpetuated against the Palestinian people.
Everywhere in the world, we can and must act now to stand with the heroes of the Freedom tunnel and all Palestinian prisoners struggling for justice, and for the liberation of Palestine!
Ottawa – Sunday, 19 September, 1 pm, Surprise demonstration at Byward Market, meet at Human Rights Monument and depart towards Byward at 2pm, Ottawa. Info: https://www.instagram.com/p/CTze3Nfr-jk/
Boston – Monday, 20 September, 12 PM, Rally and Press Conference demanding an end to US support for apartheid Israel, JFK Federal Building, Boston. Info: https://www.instagram.com/p/CTzbwD1sSqZ/
Tuesday, September 21
United Kingdom
Sheffield – Tuesday, 21 September, 12 pm, Students’ Union Concourse, University of Sheffield. Stand against university complicity in apartheid. Info: https://www.instagram.com/p/CT7CeQHshfv/
Wednesday, September 22
Netherlands
Den Haag – Wednesday, 22 September, 2 pm, Binnenhof 2513 AA, Den Haag, Netherlands. Support Palestinian prisoners!
Thirty-nine years ago this September 16-18, Palestinians in Lebanon — and everywhere inside Palestine and in exile and diaspora — faced the horrors of the Sabra and Shatila massacres of 1982. Thousands of Palestinian refugees in the Shatila refugee camp and the Sabra neighborhood of Beirut were slaughtered by the Lebanese fascist Phalangist militia, the killing overseen by the invading Israeli forces that surrounded the camps on all sides, firing flares into the air to light up the night sky for the massacring forces.
Only one day after the very last contingent of the Palestinian defense forces of the Palestine Liberation Organization, the fighters of the Palestinian revolution, were compelled to leave Lebanon in a so-called “ceasefire” agreement brokered by the United States, Israeli occupation forces invaded Beirut and surrounded the Shatila refugee camp, now home largely to women, children and elders alone, on 15 September 1982. Israeli forces set up checkpoints at every entrance to the camp, blocking Palestinian civilians fron leaving and controlling all points of entry.
Poster: Marc Rudin, 1983
These invading Israeli occupation forces welcomed, directed and cleared the path for the fascist militias to enter the camps and “clear out PLO members,” providing the military support and encirclement for the massacre of thousands of Palestinian refugees left without their resistance fighters and defensive arms.
Nearly 4,000 Palestinians and Lebanese were slaughtered, from elders to babies. The violence of the attack was immense, as women were raped, tortured and brutalized. The Israeli occupation forces surrounding the camp provided free passage to even more fascist militiamen to enter the camp, even as they blocked Palestinian and Lebanese residents from fleeing. Ariel Sharon, then the Zionist minister of war, was directly informed of the massacre and oversaw the ongoing encirclement of the camps.
Palestinian women and children resisted with only small arms and their bodies and breath. Despite their lack of protection and the overwhelming force exerted by the encircling Israeli army and the fascist militia, the resistance of the Palestinian people inside Sabra and Shatila saved hundreds of civilian lives.
Poster: Marc Rudin, 1983
Despite the passage of time, the calls of the victims and of the Palestinian people remains clear: a demand for justice and accountability, and, above all, for the implementation of the right to return to Palestine and the liberation of Palestine from the river to the sea.
The Sabra and Shatila massacres were not a random act of violence; they were central to the U.S.-supported Israeli invasion of Lebanon, which took upwards of 30,000 lives. Thousands more are still missing today. These massacres were intended as an act of genocide, designed to clear Lebanon of its Palestinian population, facilitated by the same forces responsible for the ongoing Nakba and genocidal ethnic cleansing inside occupied Palestine.
Poster: Marc Rudin, 1982
The Sabra and Shatila massacres echoed not only with the cries of Deir Yassin, Kafr Qasem, Dawaymeh and al-Lid, but also with those of the September massacres in Jordan 10 years prior. As in Sabra and Shatila, they aligned the most reactionary Arab forces with imperialist backing and Zionist military support. The massacre was an attempt to wipe out Palestinian resistance and, despite its brutal violence, an attempt that failed alongside all other such colonial violence for over 100 years.
The Palestinian resistance and the Palestinian people were not defeated at Sabra and Shatila, nor was the Lebanese resistance. The flame of the Palestinian revolution continued to burn, and it was five years later, with the rise of the Intifada in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip of Palestine, that the siege on the Palestinian refugee camps was broken.
Poster: Marc Rudin, 1989
16 September 1982 was the beginning of the Sabra and Shatila massacres; it was also the birth of Jammoul, the Lebanese National Resistance Front, comprised of multiple Lebanese and Palestinian leftist organizations fighting back against Israeli occupation and invasion.
Through years of resistance and struggle, taking multiple forms and political directions, the Lebanese resistance, and particularly the Islamic resistance led by Hezbollah, was able to uproot the Israeli occupation from its land, forcing the Zionist occupation forces from Lebanon in May 2000.
Lebanese and Arab strugglers who recognized the role of the imperialist powers, such as the United States, Britain, and France, in the ongoing occupation and destruction of Lebanon, Palestine and the Arab region more broadly, took up the battle against Zionism and imperialism on an international level in response to Sabra and Shatila. The Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Fraction (FARL), of Georges Abdallah – today imprisoned in French jails for over 37 years – was one such response.
Poster: Marc Rudin, 1984
The international popular response to the invasion of Lebanon and the Sabra and Shatila massacres, including the mobilization of Palestinian communities in exile around the world and the significant growth of Palestine solidarity organizing, was also part of this continuing resistance. Rallies and marches took to the streets around the world, with 29 November, the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, as a focal point, shattering the walls that had excluded Palestinian struggle from the official left in the United States and other Western countries.
This mobilization of Palestinian communities and international solidarity is just as vital today, to confront the Oslo project and the continuing Nakba inside and outside Palestine.
The Palestinian, Arab and international resistance art of Sabra and Shatila repeated the image of the flower of Palestine blossoming from the blood of the martyrs, the irrepressible spirit of resistance and the deep mourning and memory of those whose lives were taken by the fascist-Zionist-imperialist alliance in the streets of Beirut.
Poster: Abdel Aziz Ibrahim, 1982
Today, Palestinian refugees have been denied their right to return home to their lands, homes and properties in occupied Palestine for over 73 years. In Lebanon, Palestinian refugees are also denied basic civil and human rights, including the right to work in over 70 professions. However, the refugee camps have been and remain popular incubators for Palestinian resistance and a core of the Palestinian movement, a compass pointing towards liberation and return. The Palestinian resistance – and the Lebanese resistance – continue to present hope for the world, a defense of humanity and justice against the brutality of colonialism and exploitation.
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network mourns the martyrs of Sabra and Shatila and salutes all of the Palestinian refugees who continue to struggle for return and liberation. We demand the freedom of Georges Abdallah and all Palestinian prisoners in Israeli, reactionary and imperialist prisons, and we emphasize that this anniversary must also be an occasion to stand with the continuing Palestinian resistance.
Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, alongside the Lebanese people, face a devastating economic crisis created by capitalist exploitation, financial confiscation of popular resources, and imperialist domination and sanctions. In many ways, Palestinian refugees’ suffering in the economic crisis has been made invisible — they also go without oil, gas, electricity and water, often in worse conditions than the Lebanese population as a whole. The Samidoun delegation to Lebanon, which visited the memorial for Sabra and Shatila, witnessed the effects of this economic crisis on the Palestinian and Lebanese people and their ongoing resistance.
On the anniversary of the Sabra and Shatila massacres, we must take action and organize to defend Palestinian refugees’ right to return to their original homes, lands and properties throughout historic Palestine and ensure restitution and reparations.
We also must resist imperialist sanctions levied by the U.S. and other Western powers that aim to isolate and weaken resistance to Israel, Zionism, imperialism, and reaction, and ultimately to liquidate the Palestinian national liberation movement. We must remember Sabra and Shatila by supporting the steadfastness of Palestinian refugees in the camps and everywhere in exile and diaspora, and upholding the right to live, the right to remain and the right to return — and the right to liberate Palestine, from the river to the sea.
Further reading and reports of the Samidoun Ghassan Kanafani Brigade to Lebanon:
Be part of the September 18th global #BoycottPuma campaign! Lets give Puma the boot!
Why? Because Puma is the main sponsor of the Israel Football Association (IFA), which includes teams in Israel’s illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian land. Israel’s military occupation expels Palestinian families, including children, from their homes to give way for these settlements.
Israeli settlements are considered war crimes under international law. They are part and parcel of the systematic targeting of the Palestinian people for dispossession, occupation and apartheid for over 73 years.
Join with other people of conscience and commit to #BoycottPuma products until the company stops this unethical practice, and until the Puma logo is no longer featured on the website for the Israel Football Association.
Take one minute to write to the head of Puma Canada and Puma North America
Since 2019, contact has been made with the head of Puma in Canada calling for a response.
We join with other consumers in Canada and around the world in letting you know that we will not purchase Puma products until the company stops these unethical practices, and until the Puma logo is no longer featured on the website for the Israel Football Association. The first sentence in your “Code of Conduct” is “Puma respects human rights”; we call on Puma to live up to that commitment.
Join in adding your voice by sending a letter HERE.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 AT 8 PM EDT – 9:30 PM EDT
Join Free Palestine Online in our nations capital this Saturday September 18th-19th, as pro-#Palestine activists from #Montreal & #Toronto join forces with #Ottawa in a weekend of action aimed at shining a light on #Palestine, as a critical election issue! Let’s unite & make our demands clear as we amplify the voices of the oppressed #Palestinians! We will make sure federal party candidates hear our voices and understand that #CanadiansVotePalestine! #FreePalestine 🇵🇸 #Elxn44.
Venez nous joindre à la capitale cette fin de semaine, le 18 et 19 septembre! Des activistes pro-palestiniens de #Montreal, #Toronto joignent leurs forces avec #Ottawa pour mettre en lumière la cause palestinienne en tant qu’enjeu électoral. Unissons nous afin de revendiquer les droits des oppressés #Palestiniens. Assurons nous que les candidats des partis fédéraux nous entendent et comprennent que #CanadiansVotePalestine#FreePalestine🇵🇸#Elxn44
Cosponsors: Palestinian Youth Movement, Palestinian American Council – Pac-USA, Palestinian American Cultural Center- PACC Houston, US Palestinian Community Network, American Muslims for Palestine, RISE, Students for Justice in Palestine at UH, and SJP @ UH Clearlake
Join the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) chapter in Tiohtià:ke (Montreal) to stand with Palestinian political prisoners who have always been on the front lines of the Palestinian struggle for freedom and liberation.
We will meet in front of the Zionist consulate on Friday, September 17 at 5pm. Bring your spoons as a symbol of resistance!
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Rejoignez le chapitre du Mouvement de la Jeunesse Palestinienne (Palestinian Youth Movement) à Tiohtià:ke (Montréal) pour soutenir les prisonniers palestiniens qui ont toujours été en première ligne de la lutte palestinienne pour la liberté et la libération.
Nous nous réunirons devant le consulat sioniste le vendredi 17 septembre à 17h. Apportez vos cuillères en symbole de résistance!
*****
شاركوا مع حركة الشباب الفلسطيني في مونتريال، لإسناد الحركة الفلسطينية الأسيرة التي لطالما كانت في خط المواجهة الأول في النضال الفلسطيني من أجل النصر و الحرية .
التجمع سيكون أمام سفارة الإحتلال يوم الجمعة ، 17 سبتمبر في 5 مساءاً . فلنحضر المعالق كرمز للمقاومة .
Palestinian prisoners are continuing to struggle behind bars, as Palestinians in Jenin continue to resist occupation threats and attacks. After the self-liberation of six Palestinian political prisoners on 6 September through the Freedom Tunnel, two of the six remain liberated, Munadil Naf’at and Ayham Kamamji.
Inside Israeli detention centers, Mahmoud al-Ardah, Mohammed al-Ardah, Zakaria Zubaidi and Yaqoub Qadri continue to face harsh “military” interrogation, which routinely includes physical and psychological torture and abuse, in an attempt to force them to reveal the location of their liberated brothers.
The prisoners’ movement is also continuing to resist the stripping of rights from many Palestinian prisoners, especially those from Islamic Jihad. The prisoners are being subjected to collective punishment, denial of family visits, denial of access to the “canteen” (prison store) and isolation. At least 10 prisoners from Gilboa prison are facing interrogation, torture and cruel and inhuman treatment, as the Israeli occupation alleges they were aware of the escape.
It is critically important to continue to organize and escalate the efforts taking place around the world to support the Palestinian prisoners and demand their liberation. Protests are currently being organized in numerous cities: join in and organize in your area!
**
The four detainees were beaten severely by Israeli occupation soldiers when they were seized from the street. The visible injuries on Zakaria Zubaidi’s face — and the refusal of the Israeli occupation authorities to allow the four prisoners to be seen by either lawyers, family members or independent doctors — sparked widespread speculation and fear about his condition.
While Zubaidi has been harshly beaten, leading to fractures in his jaw and broken ribs, there have been false reports and rumors that have served to confuse the situation and draw attention away from the ongoing threat of torture and abuse faced by Zubaidi and his fellow Palestinian prisoners. Contrary to false reports, Zubaidi has not been killed and has not, according to himself and his lawyer, suffered brain damage or electrocution.
The responsibility for this fake news rests squarely on the Israeli occupation, which refused to provide access to counsel or reputable information about the conditions of the four detainees and also actively distributed misinformation about their capture, alleging that Palestinians inside occupied Palestine ’48 with Israeli citizenship had turned them in. In reality, all four were found by the massive patrols of police, security forces and military forces sweeping the area.
**
Mahmoud and Mohammed al-Ardah, Zakaria Zubaidi and Yaqoub Qadri finally were able to speak with their lawyers in visits on 14 and 15 September, with all of them providing moving testimony about their experience of freedom during their self-liberation. Israeli occupation forces prevented the same lawyer from visiting more than one of the four; each reported on their experiences and emphasized that they would pursue the same path of escape and self-liberation to once again take their freedom.
Mahmoud al-Ardah declared that they received “no help from other prisoners inside Gilboa prison, and I am primarily responsible for planning and implementing this operation, which began in December 2020.” While spoons have become a symbol of their determination to dig the Freedom Tunnel to liberation, they also used broken dishes and frying pans to excavate the ground beneath their prison cell.
He noted that the six liberated prisoners walked together to the village of Naoura and entered the mosque, from which they split up in groups of two to proceed to their next destination. Mahmoud al-Ardah and Yaqoub Qadri were seized by one of the massive police patrols roaming the area as they walked on the side of a road near Nazareth. He said that he had worn the socks given him by his niece the entire time of his self-liberation.
Al-Ardah noted that no one had turned them in; a police patrol passed them and stopped them. They were interrogated continually from the time they were seized. Raslan Mahajna, his lawyer, noted that “Mahmoud assured me that he did not ask for help from anyone, because he refuses to expose anyone else to harm. He told me that he knows that if he had asked for any help from our people in occupied Palestine ’48, none of them would have hesitated to provide it, because he knows their generosity well.”
Al-Ardah told Mahajna: “I was very moved when I saw the crowds in front of the Nazareth court and I salute the people of Nazareth who boosted our spirits.” Palestinians gathered in a mass demonstration outside the court to show their support to the four heroes of the Freedom Tunnel.
He emphasized: “I reassure my mother about my health. My morale is high, and I salute our people in Gaza. I salute all of the masses of our Palestinian people for their positions.” He noted that they had a small radio and followed the news of the massive popular support for their self-liberation. “What happened is a great achievement, and I am concerned about the situation of the prisoners as a whole and the confiscation of their achievements” by the Israeli prison administration.
Mohammed al-Ardah met with his lawyer, Khaled Mahajna, at the Jalameh interrogation center. Mahajna reported that the entire meeting was conducted through glass and monitored through a headset. He said that he and Zakaria Zubaidi were discovered by chance by occupation forces who combed through a truck stop where the two had taken shelter. They were found by chance after an Israeli occupation soldier grabbed them from under a truck. Mahajna emphasized that Mohammed has remained silent despite all of the abuse and torture to which they were subjected. Mohammed told Mahajna: “When one of the interrogators told me that you do not deserve to live and you should be shot in the head, my answer was clear: I wandered in Palestine for five days, and I had hope to see my mother, and I am fully convinced that I will be free and roam free in Palestine once again.”
He reported that he was severely beaten when seized by Israeli occupation soldiers, stripped naked, and left to sit for hours until being taken to the Jalameh interrogation center. He was denied sleep or the ability to pray and did not receive food until Tuesday. He was beaten by interrogators and remained continually monitored by cameras in a small cell.
He noted that he had tasted sabr, cactus fruit, from one of the fields of Marj ibn Amer, for the first time since his arrest and imprisonment 22 years ago. They did not drink water during their journey, which exhausted them and made it more difficult for them to successfully evade the Israeli occupation soldiers. Mahajna said that Mohammed al-Ardah plans to write his entire experience, which was the first time that he had ever walked free in occupied Palestine ’48.
Al-Ardah reported that Zubaidi was brutally assaulted by Israeli special forces, and the severity of the beating le to him being transferred to a hospital for treatment.
He asked Mahajna if people had heard about their experience, and smiled at the news of the widespread support and solidarity for their self-liberation, thanking and saluting all who stand with them.
Zakaria Zubaidi met with his lawyer, Avigdor Feldman, and noted that he was unaware of the plan for the Freedom Tunnel until the last days. Feldman noted that Zubaidi’s health and morale is good despite the beating and torture he suffered at the hands of the Israeli special forces when he was arrested, leading to a broken jaw and two fractured ribs. He is visibly bruised and scratched and was given only painkillers when transferred for treatment.
Feldman said that Zubaidi did not participate in digging the tunnel; he joined their cell one day before their self-liberation plan. Zubaidi emphasized, as had Mahmoud al-Ardah, that they did not ask for help from anyone in occupied Palestine ’48 during their days of freedom, in order to prevent Palestinians from facing arrest, torture and persecution by occupation forces.
Yaqoub Qadri met with his lawyer, Hanan Khatib, emphasizing that he would escape once again, emphasizing that he will never give up seeking freedom. He said that his time outside the prison was the “most beautiful five days” of his life and that seeing occupied Palestine ’48 in freedom was “a dream come true.” He said that he saw children with their parents and went up to them to hug and kiss them as he had not seen children in so many years.
He said that one of the jailers had knocked on the tiles of the cell the day of their escape, prompting them to expedite the plan by one week. He said, “I was in my country, and I was very happy: I ate figs, aloe, oranges and pomelo” from the trees of Palestine.
He also detailed the abuse and harsh interrogation tactics to which they were subjected, noting that they were stripped naked when seized by the occupation forces and then interrogated while naked. Over 20 interrogators, masked and physically threatening the prisoners, participated in the interrogation. They were continually denied sleep and repeatedly interrogated. Nevertheless, Khatib emphasized that his spirits were high and he drew morale and inspiration from the support they received.
**
Abu Obeida, the spokesperson of the Al-Qassam Brigades of Hamas, emphasized that the prisoners of the Freedom Tunnel will be included in all future prisoner exchanges with the resistance, emphasizing that they will win their freedom.
While a larger potential collective hunger strike inside Israeli prisons was suspended after some concessions by the Israeli prison administration on the collective punishment imposed after the Freedom Tunnel, the prisoners’ movement emphasized that the struggle is continuing.
There are many prisoners still being subject to transfer, solitary confinement, harsh interrogation and isolation. Six Palestinian prisoners — Kayed Fasfous, Miqdad Qawasmeh, Alaa al-Araj, Hisham Abu Hawash, Raik Bisharat and Shadi Abu Aker — are continuing their hunger strikes against administrative detention, imprisonment without charge or trial.
A representative of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine prison branch said that the struggle is continuing to force the prison administration to reverse all of its attacks on the prisoners, especially in order to end the dispersal and transfer of the Islamic Jihad prisoners. “The prisoners’ movement is determined to intensify the pressure on the occupation…including the issue of the Jihad prisoners.” He called on Palestinians to continue their activities and support the prisoners amid this ongoing attack, emphasizing that the prisoners are determined to achieve their goals and their freedom.
Islamic Jihad said in a press conference on 15 September that the penalties have not been fully lifted against the prisoners. “What has happened is a partial response to some of the prisoners’ demands. The basic demands were the lifting of all of the aggressive sanctions on the prisoners, including those specifically targeting the Islamic Jihad prisoners, and the complete return of the situation to as it was before 6 September. By responding to only some of the demands and not others, the prison administration wants to break up the general Palestinian nationa position and single out the Islamic Jihad prisoners.” They emphasized the need for comprehensive action to defend all of the prisoners.
**
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network emphasizes and amplifies the call of the Palestinian prisoners’ movement to stand with the Palestinian prisoners and the Palestinian people today to demand justice and liberation for Palestine, from the river to the sea.
The liberated detainees of Gilboa prison represent the irrepressible hope of and commitment to liberation that no amount of militarized repression and Zionist colonization has suppressed, for over 73 years. The actions of this “Freedom Brigade” are not only a symbol of hope for Palestinians but also for everyone in the world who seeks justice and freedom. The rearrest of four liberated prisoners has done nothing to dim the light of liberation that they represent for humanity or to lessen the blow they have dealt to the mirage of Israeli invincibility and security control. They reflect the unbreakable Palestinian will to live, struggle and thrive in the most seemingly impossible circumstances.
Western imperialist governments are part and parcel of the ongoing attacks against Palestinian prisoners and the colonization of Palestine. From the U.S.’ over $3.8 billion annually in weaponry provided to the Israeli regime to the ongoing economic, political and diplomatic support provided by the European Union, Canada, the United Kingdom and others, all of these states are directly involved in the ongoing crimes perpetuated against the Palestinian people. Everywhere in the world, we can and must act now to stand with the heroes of the Freedom tunnel and all Palestinian prisoners struggling for justice, and for the liberation of Palestine!
Please join these events in the coming days and announce your own:
Minneapolis – Thursday, 16 September, 5:30 pm, Loring Park/Walker Art Center, Palestine bannering to remember Sabra and Shatila with the Anti-War Committee. Info: https://www.instagram.com/p/CTxd_i8lKLV/
Chicago – Friday, 17 September, 4 pm, Rep Jan Schakowsky’s Office, 5333 N Broadway, Chicago. Support Political Prisoners, Demand Jan Schakowsky sign on to HR2590. Info: https://www.instagram.com/p/CT0RW7YrbBO/
New York – Friday, 17 September, 5 pm “Columbus” Circle, then March. Globalize the Intifada/Free the Prisoners. NYC. Info: https://www.instagram.com/p/CT0lqFQFHNJ/
San Francisco – Friday, 17 September, 3:30 pm, Montgomery and Market, San Francisco, CA. Protest for Palestinian Prisoners, organized by Palestine Action Coalition. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/970809170444680/
Saturday, September 18
Brazil
Sao Paulo – Saturday, 18 September, 4 pm, Al Janiah, Rua Rui Barbosa 269, Bela Vista, Sao Paulo/SP, Support Palestinian Prisoners and Remember Sabra and Shatila. Info: https://www.instagram.com/p/CT0Sz59vC0C/
Canada
Ottawa – Saturday, 18 September, 2 pm, Protest and March, Human Rights Monument; 7 pm, Vigil at Parliament Hill for Palestinian Martyrs and Political Prisoners. Info: https://www.instagram.com/p/CTze3Nfr-jk/
Ottawa – Sunday, 19 September, 1 pm, Surprise demonstration at Byward Market, meet at Human Rights Monument and depart towards Byward at 2pm, Ottawa. Info: https://www.instagram.com/p/CTze3Nfr-jk/
Monday, September 20
United States
Boston – Monday, 20 September, 12 PM, Rally and Press Conference demanding an end to US support for apartheid Israel, JFK Federal Building, Boston. Info: https://www.instagram.com/p/CTzbwD1sSqZ/
ALL OUT! This Friday September 17th 5 PM at Columbus circle in Manhattan!
Globalize the Intifada
Return our children
Free all Palestinian prisoners
Defend the hunger strikers
Honor the martyrs
Defund settler nonprofits
End all US aid to Israel
End the siege on Gaza
Feel free to print these flyers and outreach all over the city from your campus to your communities!
Following inhumane torture and mistreatment by the Zionist entity towards the four prisoners #Zakaria Zubeidi, Mohammed al-Ardah, Mahmoud al-Ardah, Yaqoub Qadri, recently escaped from Gilboa prison, we invite all to join a protest in solidarity with all Palestinian prisoners illegally detained in Israeli jails.
Bring your resistance spoons…
see you on SATURDAY September 18
at 11 pm pizza DANTE.
We invite the Arab and Palestinian community to participate in a stand in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners on Saturday, September 18th at 11 am
The event was covered by Al Jazeera:
The event also included a screening of “3000 Nights,” Mai Masri’s feature film illustrating the lives of Palestinian women prisoners inside Israeli prisons. Alsagheer also spoke about Palestinian women prisoners behind bars today, including Israa Jaabis, who was severely injured and requires significant ongoing medical care, denied by the Israeli occupation, as well as Khalida Jarrar, Khitam Saafin, and all 40 imprisoned Palestinian women.
Participants held the posters of the prisoners in an expression of popular solidarity with them, expressing the inspiration they received from the self-liberation of the six prisoners of the Freedom Tunnel, Mahmoud al-Ardah, Mohammed al-Ardah, Zakaria Zubaidi, Yaqoub Qadri, Ayham Kamamji and Munadil Naf’at. While the six have since been re-captured by occupation forces, they continue to represent a source of hope and the resilience of the Palestinian will to freedom.
“From the first moment of the exceptional action for liberation, our Palestinian people expressed, in private and in public, their embrace of the “Freedom Tunnel” group and their support for the resistance and the prisoners’ movement. The people are with them,” Alsagheer said. “Prisons will continue to exist as long as the occupation continues. Therefore, the essential goal is liberation, the liberation of humanity, the liberation of the land, and the restoration of all of the rights of the Palestinian people. Without that, colonialism will continue to build prisons — and the Palestinian people will continue to resist until they win.”
Samidoun Brasil is continuing to organize in support of Palestinian prisoners and the liberation of Palestine, from the river to the sea.
In the early morning hours of 19 September, Israeli occupation forces seized the 
Thirty-nine years ago this September 16-18, Palestinians in Lebanon — and everywhere inside Palestine and in exile and diaspora — faced the horrors of the Sabra and Shatila massacres of 1982. Thousands of Palestinian refugees in the Shatila refugee camp and the Sabra neighborhood of Beirut were slaughtered by the Lebanese fascist Phalangist militia, the killing overseen by the invading Israeli forces that surrounded the camps on all sides, firing flares into the air to light up the night sky for the massacring forces. 
All events in Ottawa:
Friday, 17 September
Mahmoud al-Ardah declared that they received “no help from other prisoners inside Gilboa prison, and I am primarily responsible for planning and implementing this operation, which began in December 2020.” While spoons have become a symbol of their determination to dig the Freedom Tunnel to liberation, they also used broken dishes and frying pans to excavate the ground beneath their prison cell.
Mohammed al-Ardah met with his lawyer, Khaled Mahajna, at the Jalameh interrogation center. Mahajna reported that the entire meeting was conducted through glass and monitored through a headset. He said that he and Zakaria Zubaidi were discovered by chance by occupation forces who combed through a truck stop where the two had taken shelter. They were found by chance after an Israeli occupation soldier grabbed them from under a truck. Mahajna emphasized that Mohammed has remained silent despite all of the abuse and torture to which they were subjected. Mohammed told Mahajna: “When one of the interrogators told me that you do not deserve to live and you should be shot in the head, my answer was clear: I wandered in Palestine for five days, and I had hope to see my mother, and I am fully convinced that I will be free and roam free in Palestine once again.”
Zakaria Zubaidi met with his lawyer, Avigdor Feldman, and noted that he was unaware of the plan for the Freedom Tunnel until the last days. Feldman noted that Zubaidi’s health and morale is good despite the beating and torture he suffered at the hands of the Israeli special forces when he was arrested, leading to a broken jaw and two fractured ribs. He is visibly bruised and scratched and was given only painkillers when transferred for treatment.
Yaqoub Qadri met with his lawyer, Hanan Khatib, emphasizing that he would escape once again, emphasizing that he will never give up seeking freedom. He said that his time outside the prison was the “most beautiful five days” of his life and that seeing occupied Palestine ’48 in freedom was “a dream come true.” He said that he saw children with their parents and went up to them to hug and kiss them as he had not seen children in so many years.
Saturday, 18 September