Ahed Tamimi He comes from a family of prominent Palestinian activists. He became famous for slapping an Israeli soldier when he was just 16 years old. A video captured the moment of impact. The images spread around the world and Ahed became an icon of resistance. So much so that her memoir, “They Called Me a Lioness: A Palestinian Girl’s Fight for Freedom,” was published by Random House in 2022.
The young woman, now 22 years old, was arrested during an Israeli army raid in the Palestinian town of Nabi Sahel following the Hamas attack on October 7th. Authorities accused the Palestinian activist of “incitement to terrorism” because she posted an image on an Instagram account linked to her in which she referenced Hitler and called for Israeli settlers to “massacre, drink their blood, and to eat their skulls”. » .
“Our message to the settler herds is that we are waiting for you in all cities (in the West Bank) from Hebron to Jenin. We will massacre you and you will say that what Hitler did to you was a joke. We will drink your blood and eat your skulls. Come, we are waiting for you,” said the message, written in Hebrew and Arabic.
He has been in prison ever since. To date, the Hebrew authorities have not made any formal charges or allegations against this Birzeit University student. There was also no trial. Ahed faces an indefinite prison sentence based on a range of evidence that no one has had access to. Her family claims that she is not the author of the publication, but that her account was hacked and her identity was faked. Something that, they say, is usually common.
This is not Ahed’s first experience behind bars. He spent his 17th birthday in prison and served an eight-month sentence. But your fate can change in a matter of hours. According to the Israeli newspaper, his name is on the list of prisoners and detainees that Israel could release between today and tomorrow in exchange for the release of twenty hostages by Hamas Haaretz.
According to the list provided by the Israeli Ministry of Justice, she is one of the fifty arrested on the release ramp in exchange for Hamas allowing more prisoners to return. “Usually they publish a list every day between four and seven in the afternoon, and I don’t know, but they say that between today and tomorrow they will remove all the women, and Ahed is among them,” says her mother. Narimanfor which there is no official confirmation that it will be released.
However, Narimán hoped that she could return home, reports Agencia EFE. “I am very happy that they are being released, but it is bitter luck because their father is not here. Bitter, because although my daughter will return, many mothers in Gaza have lost their children,” she said, referring to her husband. Bassem TamimiFather of Ahed, who faces nine months in administrative prison and the Israeli offensive that has claimed more than 15,000 lives in the Gaza Strip.