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Shorouq Dwayyat, who was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2015, is one of the prisoners released under the Israel-Hamas deal. She talks about her first hours of freedom.
Published on November 27, 2023 08:16
Reading time: 2 minutes
Shorouq Dwayyat and his mother Samira on November 26, 2023, after his release under the Israel-Hamas deal. (FAIZ ABU RMELEH / MIDDLE EAST IMAGES VIA AFP)
It had been eight years since she returned to her home in Sur Baher, a city in Jerusalem. On Saturday, November 25, Shorouq Dwayyat was welcomed as a heroine until the last moment. She was one of 39 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel who were released on the fourth day of the ceasefire under the agreement with Hamas. From now on she is still on cloud nine and enjoys every moment with her loved ones.
“So far,” admits Shorouq Dwayyat, “I still can’t believe that it is my second day of freedom and that I am here, with my family, next to my mother, my brother, I saw that at home.” my father… Really, I feel like I’m dreaming. And when asked what she did on her first day out of prison, she replied: “It’s more about: What didn’t I do today? I’ve done a lot of things! I’ve seen a lot of journalists, my friends, my extended family… you.” Look, there are still a lot of people at our house.
“Everyone wants to see her”
Shorouq’s mother intervenes. “She had lunch with us, she had dinner with us, all these things that families usually do as a family… but we were always interrupted because everyone wanted to see her.” Samira, 59, smiles, looks at her daughter with moving eyes, constantly holding her hand as if to make sure she is really there. “The day before it was cruel, really complicated for us. Shorouq didn’t get home until after one in the morning. I was really worried, I was afraid that with all the delay in making the arrangement, she would ultimately not be able to be released. For me it was almost worse than the eight years we spent without her.”
Shorouq was expected to spend another eight years behind bars and was sentenced to 16 years in prison. It was 2015, in the Old City of Jerusalem. Attacked by an Israeli settler, she defends herself, he pulls out a gun and shoots, injuring the 18-year-old young woman. She was accused by Israel of trying to stab him. Today she doesn’t want to talk about it anymore, but insists on the conditions of the women in prison since October 7th. “It’s getting worse and worse. The guards come into our cells every day, don’t respect our privacy, they beat us. Their new policy is to get less food. They even throw tear gas at us. Frankly, they treat us without any humanity.”
Free, Shorouq thinks especially of his fellow inmate Shatila Abu Ayadeh, a Palestinian citizen of Israel not on the list, and of everyone else still behind bars.