Israel releases Hamas co-founder, father of 'Green Prince,' after more than two years of detention

Hassan Yousef, a 71-year-old co-founder of Hamas and a senior leader in the West Bank, was released from Israeli administrative detention on Thursday after being held since October 2023, his son Owais confirmed. Hamas issued an official statement congratulating Yousef and his family and noting that he has spent more than 20 years in prison cumulatively. Israeli authorities reportedly released him near Hebron and he was taken directly to a hospital in Ramallah.

"I can't sleep because of the pain," footage reviewed by Agence France-Presse showed Yousef telling loved ones from a hospital bed, where he appeared with one arm in a sling. The footage was among the reports that said Yousef was not charged or tried during his most recent detention.

Context and background

• Hassan Yousef co-founded Hamas in 1987 alongside Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and other Palestinian members of the Muslim Brotherhood. He has long been identified as a senior Hamas figure in the West Bank.
• His detention history is lengthy: he was released in July 2020 after serving 16 months, and archival images show him previously released from Ofer prison on January 19, 2014 after a 28-month term.
• Hamas’ statement marking his release emphasized his decades-long confrontation with Israeli authorities and reiterated internal recognition of his role; it also singled out the cumulative prison time he has endured.
• Media reports indicated that during this most recent period of detention Yousef was held without trial under administrative detention—a practice under which detainees can be held on security grounds without formal charges for extended periods.
• Yousef is the father of Mosab Hassan Yousef, who defected from Hamas in the 1990s, publicly opposed the organization, and authored the 2010 memoir Son of Hamas. Mosab has been widely reported to have worked with Israeli counter-intelligence and to have cooperated with Mossad in various operations, and he has since campaigned against the group.
• After his release Thursday, footage and reporting showed Yousef being transported to medical care in Ramallah; the source of his arm injury has not been made public.

Outlook

Yousef’s release will have political and security implications in the West Bank and beyond. As a founding figure with long-standing influence, his return to the West Bank could be used by Hamas as a rallying symbol amid ongoing tensions in the Israeli-Palestinian arena. At the same time, his frail condition and the reports that he was not charged during his detention may deepen debates over administrative detention and its use in security cases.

Local and international actors will likely monitor both his health and any public statements he or his movement make in the coming days. The dynamics within Hamas and between Palestinian factions and Israeli authorities could be affected by how political leaders and security services respond to his release. James Genn contributed to this report.