It has been 14 years since the Israeli occupation authorities released 20 Palestinian women detainees in exchange for proof of a soldier’s life captured by the Palestinian resistance in Gaza.

This deal, commonly referred to by Palestinians as the "Al-Haraer deal", saw the Israeli occupation forces releasing 20 female prisoners in exchange for a proof-of-life videotape of the captured Israeli occupation soldier, Gilad Shalit, held by Palestinian resistance factions.

Of the released detainees, eighteen hailed from the occupied West Bank, while the remaining two were a mother and her child from the besieged Gaza Strip. 

Widely celebrated by the Palestinian people, this agreement was seen as a new achievement for the Palestinian resistance, demonstrating its relentless efforts to free all Palestinians languishing in Israeli jails. 

This victory was the first phase of a greater prisoner swap deal, referred to by Palestinians as "Wafaa al-Ahrar", under which the Israeli occupation forces released 1027 Palestinian detainees in exchange for the release of the captive Shalit.

The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas has welcomed the release of the 20 women detainees. The current Hamas chief and then-Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, Ismail Haniyeh, hailed the deal as a "victory for the Palestinian people." 

He also urged the international community to take responsibility and exert pressure on the colonial occupation entity to release all Palestinian detainees and lift the illegal siege imposed on Gaza, reiterating that releasing the detainees was a "national duty".