Ahmed al-Salaymeh reunites with his family after his release: 'I hope the war ends as soon as possible'

14-year-old Palestinian youth Ahmed al-Salaymeh reunited with his family as part of the prisoner exchange agreement between Hamas and Israel.

Ahmed's mother, Sahar, explained that her son was arrested in May for throwing stones at illegal Jewish settlements in occupied East Jerusalem and that she had been unable to communicate with him since October 5. Preparing his favorite meals for her son who returned home, Sahar said, "I am very happy that my son has been released. However, this prisoner exchange has cost us a very heavy price. Thousands of martyrs, thousands of people left homeless in the cold. I hope the war ends as soon as possible."

PAINFUL JOY

Experiencing the joy of reuniting with his son, father Ahmed Nawwaf al-Salaymeh stated, "Praise be to God, my son was released from the prisons of the occupation through the prisoner exchange agreement made by the Palestinian resistance in beloved Gaza." However, noting that this joy is incomplete, the father added, "My son, the youngest Palestinian prisoner, attained freedom through the blood of the 15 thousand martyrs in the Gaza Strip. This joy was experienced in a painful situation."

Ahmed al-Salaymeh stated that conditions in the prison were steadily worsening and that he only learned he would be released hours beforehand. Expressing that they were only given two meals a day in prison, Ahmed explained that his communication with the outside world was cut off and judicial processes had stopped. Expressing that he missed his family and his mother's cooking, the Palestinian youth stated that he wants to meet with his friends at school as soon as possible.

Within the framework of the agreement to provide a 4-day "humanitarian pause" in the clashes between Hamas and Israel, 30 Palestinian prisoners were released along with 61 Israeli hostages released from Israeli prisons. This prisoner exchange agreement, which took place with the mediation of Qatar, aims to alleviate the tension that has been ongoing between the parties for some time.