Hamas tells interlocutors it’s committed to securing Marwan Barghouti’s release — source

By Jacob Magid

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8 October 2025, 9:54 pm

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Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief

A picture shows a view of a section of Israel's security barrier in the West Bank city of Bethlehem painted with a portrait of convicted Palestinian terrorist Marwan Barghouti, held in an Israel jail, on December 24, 2024. (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP)

Hamas is committed to securing the release of former Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti as part of the agreement with Israel to end the war in Gaza, a source familiar with the matter tells The Times of Israel.

Hamas’s leadership has relayed to interlocutors that “Barghouti’s fate remains absolutely central to these talks,” the source says.

Barghouti is currently serving five cumulative life terms in an Israeli prison for planning attacks during the Second Intifada that killed five civilians. He has denied the charges against him while rejecting the Israeli court’s jurisdiction.

The 66-year-old has been described as a potential successor to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, as he has appeal among broad swaths of the Palestinian population, while maintaining support for a two-state solution.