Hisham al-Sayed

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Hisham al-Sayed
هشام السيد
Born (1988-02-15) February 15, 1988 (age 37)
Al-Sayyid, Israel
NationalityIsraeli
Known forHostage held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip

Hisham al-Sayed (Hebrew : הישאם א-סייד; Arabic : هشام السيد; born February 15, 1988) [1] is a Muslim Bedouin Arab Israeli civilian who was held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip for nearly ten years. Hamas has claimed al-Sayed is an Israeli soldier but Human Rights Watch has confirmed he is a civilian exempted from military service after attempting to serve for a brief period. [2] [3]

Contents

Hisham, who has schizophrenia, was released on 22 February 2025 as part of the 2025 Gaza war ceasefire. [4] [5]

Biography

Hisham al-Sayed was born in 1988 in al-Sayyid to Manal al-Sayed and Sha’ban al-Sayed. [3] He was diagnosed with a mental health condition, [6] loss of hearing, tinnitus, and vertigo. [3] In 2005 he was sent to study in Cyprus, and in 2010 studied in London. [3] In 2010 he was diagnosed with "acute psychotic disorder" and in 2013 with schizophrenia. [3]

Al-Sayed suffered from auditory hallucinations, and took orders from a voice in his head. He entered the West Bank on at least 15 occasions, and was detained by Palestinian Preventive Security at least three of those times. [3]

On 18 August 2008, he volunteered for military service, but was discharged less than three months later on November 6, after being identified as "incompatible for service." [3]

Capture

On 20 April 2015, al-Sayed wandered into the Gaza Strip and was abducted by Hamas. [7]

On 28 June 2022, Hamas released a video showing a sickly Al-Sayed in a hospital bed with an oxygen mask and an IV drip. [8] [9] Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett condemned Hamas: "Spreading the clip of a sick man is despicable and an act of desperation." [10]

Release

In January 2025 after the leaking of a document showing information about the 2025 Israel–Hamas war ceasefire and hostage release it was reported that Al-Sayed was set to be released by Hamas as part the exchange. [11] [7] [12] His family issued a statement shortly after the announcement expressing their happiness at his return and hope for all hostages to be released. [13]

Al-Sayed was released on 22 February 2025, along with five other hostages held by Hamas. Unlike the other five hostages, al-Sayed was released without a public ceremony. [14] [15] The IDF confirmed receiving him few hours later. [4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Analysis: Hamas Publishes Information on an Israeli Held Captive Since 2015". 3 July 2022.
  2. ↑ Peter, Laurence (2023-10-21). "The forgotten Israeli hostages kept by Hamas in Gaza for years". BBC News . Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "2 Israelis Who Entered Gaza Held Incommunicado | Human Rights Watch". 2017-05-02. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  4. 1 2 "Israel Gaza hostages latest: Tears and hugs as freed hostages reunite with families, ahead of Palestinian prisoner release". BBC News . Archived from the original on 22 February 2025. Retrieved 2025-02-22.
  5. ↑ Brown, Hannah (2025-02-22). "Hamas's abuse of two mentally ill Israelis shows depths of terror group's cruelty - comment". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on February 22, 2025. Retrieved 2025-03-02.
  6. ↑ ben-Zvi, Gidon (3 September 2020). "Gaza violence makes headlines, but media mum on Israeli captives". honestreporting.com. Special needs captives
  7. 1 2 "Who is Hisham al-Sayed, the Bedouin Israeli held by Hamas since 2015 set for freedom?". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2025-01-17. Retrieved 2025-01-22.
  8. ↑ "Hamas releases video of captive Israeli in hospital bed". AP News. 2022-06-28. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  9. ↑ Hisham al-Sayed: Hamas video claims to show captive Israeli
  10. ↑ Levy, Elior (2022-06-28). "Bennett blasts Hamas for showing Israeli captive with oxygen mask". Ynetnews. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  11. ↑ Fabian, Emanuel (15 January 2025). "Leak of purported ceasefire terms show 2 hostages held for past decade to be released in first phase, gradual IDF withdrawal from key routes". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2025-02-20.
  12. ↑ Solomon, Eden. "After 10 years, longest-held Israeli hostages due to come home as part of Gaza agreement". Haaretz.com. Archived from the original on 2025-01-16. Retrieved 2025-01-22.
  13. ↑ "These are the six living hostages set to be released Saturday". www.timesofisrael.com. 18 February 2025. Retrieved 2025-02-20.
  14. ↑ Borger, Julian (February 22, 2025). "Hamas hands over six hostages but Israel suspends release of 600 Palestinians". The Guardian.
  15. ↑ "Source to Al Jazeera: Hisham al-Sayed to be released without ceremony". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2025-02-22.
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