TEHRAN - The assassination of Palestinian prisoners after their release is not merely a sporadic act of violence; rather, it is a carefully crafted strategy that reflects the entrenched approach of the occupying entity in dealing with Palestinian resistance.

This policy is not simply about eliminating individuals deemed security threats; it is a mechanism for reinforcing perpetual control, dominance, and subjugation. Such a practice not only constitutes a blatant violation of fundamental human rights but also poses a direct challenge to international legal standards, which the Zionist entity continuously disregards through its systematic impunity.

When analyzing this policy, it is crucial to recognize that these assassinations are not acts of revenge or spontaneous military operations; they are an extension of the Zionist entity’s long-standing principle of preemptive elimination. Historically, Palestinians have been targeted even after being imprisoned, exchanged, or granted temporary freedom. This practice is not only a breach of Palestinian rights but also a challenge to the global legal order, which has repeatedly failed to hold the Zionist entity accountable over the decades.

The recent assassinations of four released prisoners, along with the rearrest of 33 others amid the Gaza ceasefire, serve as a stark reminder that the policy of targeted killings remains an active and deliberate strategy. These events raise pressing questions: What does the release of Palestinian prisoners truly mean today? What historical precedents underpin this policy? And, most importantly, why does the international community allow such flagrant human rights violations to persist?

Beyond prison walls: The illusion of freedom for Palestinian prisoners

For most prisoners, release signifies freedom. However, for Palestinian detainees released by the Zionist entity, it often marks the beginning of an even more perilous existence one characterized by constant surveillance, the looming threat of rearrest, and, in many cases, outright assassination.

The Zionist entity's policy toward released prisoners operates on two fundamental principles:

Deterrence through fear: Ensuring that even those who have served their sentences or been released through negotiations remain under existential threat.
Perpetual criminalization: Depicting all released prisoners as potential threats who can be eliminated at any given moment.

The logic behind this strategy is clear: the release of prisoners is not an acknowledgment of their rights or an effort toward rehabilitation, but rather a calculated step within the broader doctrine of the Zionist entity’s security apparatus. Prisoner exchanges, ceasefires, and negotiated releases do not alter the entity’s core stance that Palestinian resistance figures, regardless of their legal status, remain prime targets for assassination.

In 2012, former head of the Zionist internal security agency (Shin Bet), Yoram Cohen, explicitly stated that the entity is "not obligated to refrain from assassinating released Palestinian prisoners." This was not an offhand remark but a direct acknowledgment of an entrenched policy. His statement reflects a deeply rooted belief within the Zionist security establishment that Palestinian prisoners, even after their so-called release, remain legitimate targets for elimination.

The assassinations of Hussein Muhammad Abayat, Abu Ali Mustafa, Ahmed Yassin, Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi, Samir Kuntar, and many others demonstrate that targeting released individuals is not an exception but a historically consistent and well-documented pattern.

The question is no longer whether released prisoners are safe, but rather how and when the Zionist entity will strike and assassinate them.

The historical roots of the Zionist assassination policy: From the second Intifada to the Gaza ceasefire

To understand the significance of the current wave of assassinations, one must examine the historical precedents that have shaped this policy.

During the Second Intifada (2000-2005), the Zionist entity formalized its use of extrajudicial assassinations, targeting not only military leaders but also political figures and activists. The assassinations of Abu Ali Mustafa in 2001 and Ahmed Yassin in 2004 were not battlefield confrontations but deliberate executions of individuals who were not actively engaged in combat at the time.

Notably, many of those assassinated had previously been imprisoned. Their deaths reveal a deeper reality: for Palestinian prisoners, release does not equate to freedom it marks a transition from one form of control (incarceration) to another (perpetual surveillance and targeted elimination).

The 2011 prisoner exchange deal involving Gilad Shalit, which saw the release of over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, further illustrates this pattern. While the deal was presented as a diplomatic breakthrough, the Zionist entity made it clear that the released prisoners were never beyond its reach. Many were systematically rearrested in the following years, particularly during the 2014 "Operation Brother’s Keeper." Some were assassinated, proving that their release was always conditional subject to the unilateral decision of the entity to revoke their supposed freedom.

Fast forward to the present, and the same principle applies. Prisoners released under the Gaza ceasefire agreement are being systematically rearrested or assassinated, just as those released in previous exchanges were. The four recent assassinations and the rearrest of 33 former detainees signal to Palestinian prisoners and leaders that no agreement can guarantee their safety.

This raises a deeply troubling question: If the Zionist entity has continued eliminating Palestinian prisoners even after their formal release, what fate awaits those being released today?

Ceasefire in Gaza and the death trap for released Palestinian prisoners

The current ceasefire in Gaza was supposed to provide a temporary pause in the war, but the assassination of released prisoners proves that the Zionist entity remains actively engaged in targeted killings. The message to Palestinians is clear: regardless of the conditions of your release, you will never truly be free.

By systematically eliminating released prisoners, the Zionist entity is engaging in psychological warfare. Every Palestinian walking freely does so under the shadow of an imminent Israeli strike. This manufactured insecurity is designed to prevent former detainees from reintegrating into society, keeping them in a state of perpetual fear and instability.

The targeting of recently released prisoners during the ceasefire also highlights the Zionist entity’s broader strategy. It does not respect international agreements or the sanctity of negotiated settlements. Instead, it uses moments of diplomatic engagement as temporary tactical withdrawals while continuing its broader campaign of repression and control.

What we are witnessing today is not merely a violation of human rights but a strategic weaponization of the ceasefire process itself. The Zionist entity exploits the illusion of peace to selectively eliminate individuals, ensuring that even the appearance of Palestinian self-governance remains impossible.

The role of the international community: Silence as complicity

The repeated assassinations of released prisoners by the Zionist entity should provoke global outrage, yet the international community remains silent. This silence is not due to a lack of awareness but rather a result of deliberate political inaction and the normalization of Israel’s violations.

International law is clear: The Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits the killing of former combatants who are no longer actively engaged in fighting. The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court classifies extrajudicial executions as war crimes when carried out as part of a systematic policy. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights enshrines the right to life and due process both of which Palestinian prisoners are routinely denied.

Despite these legal frameworks, the Zionist entity continues to act with impunity, shielded by its political allies in the United States, Europe, and a global system that has repeatedly failed to enforce accountability.

This silence is not mere negligence it is complicity. Every assassination of a released Palestinian prisoner is an indictment of the international order that allows the Zionist entity to operate above the law. If the world remains indifferent, it sets a dangerous precedent, effectively granting the Zionist entity a license to execute without consequences.

The need for resistance and accountability

The assassination of Palestinian prisoners after their release is not just a human rights violation, it is part of the Zionist entity’s broader policy of perpetual subjugation and political control. It sends a clear message that imprisonment, negotiation, and release are all mechanisms under Israeli control, and that freedom, even when granted, is an illusion.

The recent assassinations during the ceasefire in Gaza confirm that this strategy remains in effect. Released Palestinian prisoners today face the same grim fate as their predecessors: persecution, re-arrest, or execution.

The world cannot afford to stand idly by while the Zionist entity continues its policy of extrajudicial executions. Islamic and non-Islamic countries, human rights organizations, and international courts must go beyond statements of condemnation and take concrete action:

* Legal proceedings must be pursued at the International Criminal Court to hold Israeli officials accountable for war crimes.

* International sanctions must be imposed on the Zionist entity for its systematic human rights violations.

* Global advocacy campaigns must work to amplify these cases, exposing the Zionist entity’s extrajudicial killings.

Without decisive international intervention, the Zionist entity will continue its assassination policy unchallenged, and Palestinian prisoners whether behind bars or after their release—will remain at risk of death. The world must reject the systematic policy of assassinations pursued by the Zionist entity and work to ensure that Palestinian lives are not treated as expendable. Anything less is an endorsement of the state-sponsored killings carried out by a rogue entity like Israel.

Dr. Mohammad Ali Senobari is director of the New Vision Center for Strategic Studies