Arabic media airs video of Palestinian prisoner phoning family to tell them he’s being released in Gaza deal

Arab media outlets publish footage of Yasser Abu Turki, a Palestinian prisoner said to be from Hebron, calling his family to update them about his pending release.

At the start of the call, the prisoner apparently asks that no celebrations be held upon his release, as public celebrations for prisoners freed in hostage deals are forbidden by Israel.

According to the report, Abu Turki is serving a life sentence.

He is also heard asking during the call whether his mother is still alive.

As a rule, security prisoners — those serving time for offenses against the State of Israel — are not entitled to make phone calls at all while in prison. In rare and exceptional cases, a prisoner may be granted permission to call his lawyer. Over the years, however, many security prisoners have smuggled cell phones into prison and used them to stay in contact with the outside world.

However, the name Yasser Abu Turki does not appear on the list of prisoners slated for release by Israel. It may instead be a fake name for a different prisoner on the list, Yasser Asfour, who is the same age as the man identified by Arab reports as Abu Turki.

According to the list published by Israel, Yasser Asfour is from the southern West Bank, was arrested in 2006, and is serving, among other sentences, a life sentence for murder.

לקראת שחרור האסירים: יאסר אבו תורכי*, מחברון שמרצה מאסר עולם – התקשר למשפחתו והודיע לה על שחרורו. (קריין: הוא לא יכול להתקשר מהכלא, זה טלפון מוברח). קשה לקבוע במאה אחוז, אבל בתחילת הקטע זה נשמע שאומר שלא יקימו חגיגות עם חזרתו כי זה אסור. pic.twitter.com/eva9K33R9J

— Nurit Yohanan (@nurityohanan) October 11, 2025