Israel releases Hamas co-founder after 2 yrs of detention, son says
The son of one of Hamas’ founding members has confirmed that Israeli authorities released his father in the occupied West Bank on Thursday after detaining him without formal charges for more than two years.
According to Owais Yousef, Hassan Yousef, 71, was released near Hebron in the southern West Bank before being transferred to a hospital in Ramallah, where he lives.
Hassan Yousef is regarded as a prominent Hamas figure in the West Bank. He helped establish the movement in the 1980s alongside Sheikh Ahmad Yassin and other Palestinian members of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Israeli authorities had not immediately responded to requests for comment regarding his release.
Yousef had been held under Israel’s administrative detention system since October 2023, shortly after the Hamas-led attack on Israel that triggered the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Since the outbreak of the war, Israel has expanded its use of administrative detention, a policy that permits authorities to hold individuals for renewable six-month periods without filing charges.
Israeli officials argue that the measure is necessary to prevent potential attacks and allow security agencies to continue investigations. However, human rights organizations and critics have repeatedly accused Israel of misusing the practice.
Over the years, Yousef has been detained several times by Israeli authorities. Prior to his latest detention, he was released in July 2020 after spending 16 months in administrative custody.
A former member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Yousef is also known for his strained relationship with his eldest son, Mosab Hassan Yousef, who secretly worked against Hamas for a decade.
Between 1997 and 2007, Mosab served as an informant for Israel’s Shin Bet security agency before moving to the United States. He later adopted a new identity and authored the book “Son of Hamas.”