Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli detention continue to face separation from their families because of travel restrictions. Many former detainees now live in exile while their relatives remain in the occupied West Bank. Consequently, families say their reunions remain impossible despite the prisoners regaining their freedom.
Families Await Long-Delayed Reunions
According to reported accounts, Amjad al-Najjar was deported to Egypt after his release in January 2025. He had spent 10 years in Israeli prison before being freed through a prisoner exchange. However, travel restrictions have prevented him from reuniting with his wife and children in Ramallah.
His two youngest children were conceived through sperm reportedly smuggled from prison. Although they frequently speak with their father by phone, they have never met him in person. Amjad said his release felt incomplete because he remained separated from his family.
Another former detainee, Ahmed Hamed, also remains in Egypt after serving 22 years in prison. His wife said repeated requests to travel to Cairo have been denied. Meanwhile, their daughter briefly met her father before returning to the West Bank, where she was reportedly detained and questioned by Israeli authorities.
Family members said the restrictions continue to prevent reunions during important life events. They described the releases as only partial because loved ones remain unable to live together.
Rights Groups Raise Legal Concerns
Another deported former prisoner, Riyad al-Amour, died in Egypt after his release. According to his relatives, several family members could not travel to see him before his death. His family also said they were prevented from burying him in the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian Prisoners Club said 383 Palestinian prisoners were deported from the West Bank under prisoner exchange agreements in 2025. Meanwhile, the Center for the Defense of Liberties and Civil Rights documented more than 8,700 Palestinian travel bans between 2014 and 2025.
Human rights organisation Al-Haq argued that the restrictions constitute collective punishment and violate the right to family reunification. Meanwhile, Israeli authorities have cited security considerations for imposing travel restrictions.
