Hamas says Israel detains 10 Palestinian MPs in harsh conditions

Hamas has said that Israeli authorities continue to detain 10 members of the Palestinian Legislative Council under what it described as harsh conditions, with some having spent decades in prison.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the movement’s Prisoners’ Media Office said that among the longest-serving detainees are Ahmad Sa’adat and Marwan Barghouti, both prominent Palestinian political figures.

The office said that since the 2006 Palestinian legislative elections, Israeli authorities have arrested more than 65 MPs, with some detained more than 10 times and held for extended periods, particularly under administrative detention.

It added that several lawmakers have received lengthy sentences, including life imprisonment, and that 10 MPs remain in custody.

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According to the statement, the most frequently arrested and oldest MP currently detained is Jerusalem-based lawmaker Muhammad Abu Tir, 75, who has reportedly spent more than 36 years in Israeli prisons. The office said Abu Tir was re-arrested in November 2025 and transferred to the Rekafet section of Ramle prison, where he is being held despite chronic health conditions. It also noted that his Jerusalem residency permit was revoked in 2006 and that he has been barred from the city since 2010.

The statement further cited the continued detention of Hassan Yousef, 73, from Ramallah, described as a senior Hamas figure in the West Bank. Yousef, who has reportedly spent more than 27 years in prison, was re-arrested on 19 October 2023 and placed under administrative detention, which the office said has been renewed five times without charge.

It also referred to the March 2025 re-arrest of Sheikh Muhammad Jamal al-Natsha, 68, from Hebron, alleging that he was subjected to violent interrogation and hospitalised in critical condition. Al-Natsha has previously spent more than 15 years in Israeli prisons, according to the statement.

The Prisoners’ Media Office said the following MPs also remain detained: Khaled Suleiman Abu Hassan from Jenin, Hosni al-Bourini from Nablus, Nasser Abdel-Jawad, 61, from Deir Ballut near Salfit, Anwar al-Zaboun, 58, from Bethlehem, and Yasser Mansour from Nablus.

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