Two terror victims request attacker be taken off prisoner release list
Yaakov Mozes and Moshe Haas, who were shot and seriously injured in East Jerusalem by 16-year old Ibrahim Sultan Zamer, say news he may be released is hindering their recovery
Jeremy Sharon is The Times of Israel’s legal affairs and settlements reporter
Two victims of Palestinian terrorism have requested that the teenager who shot them multiple times be removed from the list of Palestinians prisoners who could potentially be released in the framework of the hostage release agreement with Hamas.
Ibrahim Sultan Zamer, 16, shot Yaakov Mozes, 48, and Moshe Hass, 50, at point-blank range on April 18 this year as they were driving in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah.
Both men suffered serious injuries and underwent emergency surgery. In a letter sent on their behalf by the Honenu legal aid organization to the offices of Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that the presence of Zamer on the list of potential prisoners to be released was causing them emotional distress, which was making their physical recovery more difficult.
According to Honenu, which mostly provides legal representation for far-right activists as well as terror victims, Mozes and Haas are still suffering from their wounds and still undergoing rehab.
Zamer fled the scene but was arrested a short time afterwards in the Palestinian city of Nablus where he lives. He has been charged with two counts of attempted murder in the military court system, which is frequently used to try Palestinians terrorists, but has not yet been tried.
He was, however, put on the list of 300 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, mostly women and minors, who might be released in exchange for Israeli hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7.
רץ למכונית, יורה מטווח אפס ובורח: תיעוד הפיגוע בירושלים@HGoldich
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Honenu has no information as to whether Zamer is likely to be in the fourth group of Palestinian prisoners Israel sets free as part of the hostage release agreement, which is supposed to take place later on Monday.
Under the terms of the Israel-Hamas deal, in each of four days beginning last Friday, Israel was to release three Palestinian prisoners jailed in Israel for security offenses for each hostage released by Hamas.
“My clients were horrified to hear that this terrorist was on the list of candidates for release, even before he stood trial,” wrote Haim Bleicher, an attorney with Honenu, in the letter to Netanyahu and Gallant.
“The news of the terrorist’s early release has severely damaged my clients’ sense of security and makes it difficult for them to fully recover and return to normal life. Furthermore, this is a terrorist who carried out a serious attack and is an immediate danger to the citizens of Israel,” he added.
He requested that Zamer be removed from the list, writing, “It is not right for a terrorist who carried out an attack that miraculously did not end in murder, and while the wounds from that attack are still healing, and before the terrorist has even served a year in prison, to be released.”
The Prime Minister’s Office did not respond to a request for comment.
