Shadi Abu Sido, a Palestinian photojournalist from Gaza, has been reunited with his family after being released from Israeli detention as part of a US-mediated ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel. The deal, which ended two years of conflict, also saw the release of 1,700 Palestinians and 250 prisoners convicted or suspected of involvement in deadly attacks, in exchange for 20 Israeli hostages held by Hamas since October 2023.
Abu Sido, who was detained at Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza on March 18 last year, had been told by Israeli guards that his wife and two children were dead. Overwhelmed with grief, he described the moment as shattering his world. However, upon his release on Monday, he discovered that his family was alive. His wife, Hanaa Bahlul, rushed to embrace him at their home in Khan Younis, and he held his children tightly, repeatedly kissing their cheeks and murmuring words of love.
Abu Sido’s detention was reportedly under Israel’s Unlawful Combatants Law, which allows for administrative detention without charge or trial. According to Addameer, a Palestinian human rights group, 2,673 Gazans are currently held under this law. The Israeli military stated that its detention policies comply with Israeli law and the Geneva Conventions.
During his detention, Abu Sido endured severe mistreatment, including beatings, prolonged kneeling, and being handcuffed and blindfolded. His wife revealed that he was initially held at Sde Teiman military detention camp in Israel, then transferred to Ofer military camp in the West Bank, and finally to Ketziot prison in Israel. Bahlul emphasized that her husband’s arrest was solely for his work as a journalist for a Palestinian institution.
The ceasefire deal has brought a temporary halt to the prolonged conflict, offering a glimmer of hope for families torn apart by the violence. Abu Sido’s reunion with his family serves as a poignant reminder of the human cost of the ongoing tensions in the region.