At least 160 prisoners freed in the first phase of the Gaza peace plan are “terrorist millionaires,” according to a new analysis showing the Palestinian Authority (PA) paid nearly $70 million to the 250 Palestinians released as part of the deal.

A report by the watchdog group Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) found the PA’s long-running “pay-to-slay” policy funneled high monthly stipends to convicted terrorists during their years in Israeli prisons. The group said the payments — some of which exceeded $500,000 per individual — were made to prisoners convicted of crimes including murder, kidnapping, and suicide bombings.

Among those released are several veteran Hamas commanders who established terror cells around Jerusalem and directed attacks that killed dozens of Israeli civilians. The PA’s payments, PMW said, were often drawn from funds bolstered by foreign aid to the Palestinian government.

Mohammed Shamasneh, a Hamas commander serving life for four murders, was released with nearly 2 million Israeli shekels — about $555,000 — accumulated during more than three decades behind bars. Shamasneh was convicted of kidnapping and killing two Israeli teens, a taxi driver, and a soldier in 1990.

Iyad Abu al-Rub, a senior commander of Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Jenin, collected at least 1,067,600 shekels ($323,800). He was convicted for multiple suicide bombings that killed seven people between 2003 and 2005, and Israeli authorities accused him of planning additional attacks, including one from a school.

Imad Qawasmeh, a Hamas operative sentenced to 16 life terms for a 2004 bombing that killed 16 Israelis and wounded more than 100, earned roughly 1,135,000 shekels ($345,000).

Riyad al-Amour, convicted of leading terror cells behind a series of kidnappings and shootings that killed nine Israelis between 2000 and 2002, left prison with nearly 1.3 million shekels ($400,000). He and Ismail Hamdan, his partner in the 2002 abduction and murder of Israeli civilian Avi Boaz, each received more than 1.2 million shekels in payments. Hamdan also took part in a Jerusalem shooting that killed Deborah Fridman.

Mahmoud Issa, a longtime Hamas figure serving over 30 years for kidnapping and killing an Israeli police officer in 1993, collected nearly 2 million shekels — close to $600,000. Issa was among the founders of Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades, the faction behind the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks.

Nasri Amassi, convicted for a series of early-2000s attacks that killed multiple Israeli soldiers and civilians, received around 1.2 million shekels ($340,000). Bilal Ajarmeh, who carried out 17 highway shootings in the early 2000s, earned just over a million shekels ($332,000) during his 22-year sentence.

According to PMW, the PA pays prisoners on a sliding scale, increasing their monthly salary with time served. Those imprisoned for more than 25 years can earn up to 12,000 shekels ($3,187) a month, with additional payments made to family members.

PA President Mahmoud Abbas has repeatedly pledged to end the policy under U.S. pressure but has yet to do so. The practice remains one of the reasons President Donald Trump’s administration barred the PA from assuming control of Gaza under its 20-point peace plan, which calls for eliminating groups that promote extremism.

“The Palestinian Authority spends hundreds of millions of dollars each year rewarding terrorists,” PMW Director Itamar Marcus said. “Meanwhile, European donors cover other PA salaries, effectively freeing up funds to pay imprisoned terrorists.”

Many of the nearly 2,000 prisoners released under the broader agreement were greeted with public celebrations in Gaza and the West Bank. NBC News described “joyous scenes” as crowds gathered to welcome the returnees.

In Khan Yunis, a Hamas stronghold in southern Gaza, thousands lined the streets as armed gunmen fired into the air to celebrate the arrival of buses carrying released detainees, according to ABC News. Some prisoners were subsequently relocated to countries such as Egypt.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)