Last update - 00:00 17/12/2007
Israel releases Palestinian mother imprisoned for aiding Hamas
By The Associated Press
A Palestinian woman and the son she bore and raised while imprisoned in Israel were released on Monday to joyous tears and jubilant chants of God is Great.
Samar Isbaeh, 24, had spent 28 months in jail after she was convicted of assisting the Islamic militant group, Hamas, in the West Bank and conveying messages to group members in the Gaza Strip. Nineteen months ago, Isbaeh gave birth to her son, Barra, who remained in jail with her.
"Welcome, welcome, God is Great," shouted the throngs of women who awaited Isbaeh as she passed through the Erez crossing from Israel into the Gaza Strip. Isbaeh's mother was crying when the two women hugged. Women relatives covered Isbaeh with kisses.
"I am happy to be out with my family and my son," Isbaeh told reporters. Freedom is great, "but I will not forget the suffering of my sisters, the prisoners who are still suffering from the occupation's brutal treatment."
About 120 Palestinian women are serving time in Israeli jails. At least two are raising their children in prison with them, Palestinian prisoner advocates say.
Israel holds 9,000 Palestinian prisoners in all, and their freedom is a key Palestinian demand. But Isbaeh's release was no goodwill gesture: Israel said she had served her time.
Isbaeh was arrested in May 2005 at her husband's family's home in the West Bank city of Tulkarem. But on Monday, she returned to her family's home in the Jebaliya refugee camp in Gaza. The family home was decorated with Palestinian flags and flags from both the Fatah and Hamas groups.
Isbaeh's brothers belong to Fatah.
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