Nael Barghouti, one of the longest held Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons, walked free on February 27, 2025. After spending 44 years behind bars, nearly his entire adult life Barghouti’s story talks about struggle, sacrifice, and unshakable hope. His release was part of a prisoner exchange deal linked to the Gaza ceasefire. However, his journey home remains incomplete due to Israel’s exile conditions.
Barghouti’s resistance started at a young age. His sister, Hanan Barghoutib, recalls his early defiance: “At age 10, he witnessed Israel’s 1967 occupation of our village. By 13, he was throwing stones at soldiers and writing anti-occupation messages on walls. Prison became his fate because he refused to accept subjugation.”
Barghouti was first arrested in 1977 for throwing stones at Israeli forces. After three months in jail, he was detained again while preparing for his high school exams. This marked the beginning of his long struggle for his homeland.
In April 1978, at age 20, Barghouti was arrested from his family’s home in Kobar village, northwest of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. He was accused of involvement in a “commando operation” by the Palestinian Fatah movement that killed one Israeli near the West Bank settlement of Halamish. A military court sentenced him to life imprisonment, human rights groups widely criticised it as unfair to Palestinians.
Barghouti spent 34 consecutive years in prison before being freed in 2011 as part of the Gilad Shalit prisoner swap, which released 1,027 Palestinians in exchange for one Israeli soldier. During his brief freedom, he rebuilt his life, marrying Eman Nafi’, planting fruit trees, and advocating for prisoner rights.
Unfortunately, his freedom was short-lived. In June 2014, Israel re-arrested him during a mass detention campaign targeting Palestinians freed in the Shalit deal. A military court reinstated his original life sentence, claiming he violated release terms by being a member of Hamas. His wife Eman said: “We had just 32 months. They took him again because he refused to stop speaking about justice.” He spent more years in prison under tough conditions, and his health started to decline.
Barghouti experienced extreme conditions in Israeli prisons. In a 2025 during his interview with Al Jazeera Nael described his sufferings, including beatings, solitary confinement, medical neglect leading to heart issues, and psychological torture like midnight cell raids.
“The occupation uses methods learned from Nazism and American racism”, he stated. Despite this, he became a leader among prisoners, earning the nickname “Dean of Prisoners” for mentoring younger inmates.
Barghouti’s release in 2025 came as part of a Hamas-Israel prisoner exchange deal requiring: Israel free 620 Palestinian prisoners and Hamas release 6 Israeli captives. While grateful to leave prison, he had to accept exile to Egypt and was barred from returning to his homeland. In his first interview, he said, this is “partial freedom", addinf: “True liberation comes only when Gaza is free and Palestine exists without occupation”.
His family remains separated. Eman, his wife is banned from travelling to Egypt, receives a new wedding ring sent by Nael, a symbol of their disrupted life. “I don’t know when I’ll hold him again”, she told Al Jazeera.
Nael Barghouti’s story shows the suffering of Palestinians under Israeli occupation. He spent 44 years in prison, facing harsh conditions that highlighted the broader human rights issues faced by Palestinians under occupation. His release brought hope to many, serving as a powerful reminder of the ongoing struggle for justice and national identity.
Despite exile, Barghouti remains defiant. “We’ve resisted for 120 years and won’t stop”, he told supporters. He praised Gaza’s sacrifices and emphasized the enduring hope for freedom. His release sparked global celebrations and protests demanding the freedom of over 5,800 Palestinians still in Israeli jails. However, Israel’s exile terms drew condemnation. The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club called it “collective punishment extending beyond prison walls”.
Barghouti’s story mirrors the Palestinian struggle, often crushed but never broken. As he begins a new chapter in Egypt, his words resonate: “They took my youth, but not my faith, Palestine will be free.”