A Palestinian terrorist who suffered facial disfigurement in an attack, who requested that Israel pay for her plastic surgery, is expected to be freed in a contentious prisoner exchange.
The woman has been identified as Asraa Jabas.
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Who is Asraa Jabas?
Asraa Jabas is 38 years old. She was involved in an incident in the West Bank in 2015 when a gas cylinder exploded, seriously injuring both her and a policeman. Jabas has asked for funds for plastic surgery twice with success, despite receiving an eleven-year sentence.
When word spread that Jabas was about to be freed as part of an agreement, several victim advocacy organizations announced their plans to launch a petition against her release. Israeli legislation stipulates that the names of Palestinian prisoners released under any arrangement are posted on the Ministry of Justice website, giving opponents a 24-hour window to challenge the ruling.
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Israeli media said that Jabas had been granted two grants for plastic surgery and was on the list of convicts scheduled for parole. But last year, authorities turned down her third application to have her nose rebuilt because they thought it wasn’t necessary to preserve her health.
Jabas exploded a bomb close to a roadblock in the 2015 incident after 45-year-old policeman Moshe Chan stopped him for acting strangely. She stopped and said, “Allah Akbar,” before setting off a gas cylinder that was concealed within her purse. After receiving treatment for severe burns, both Mr. Chan and Jabas were surprised by Jabas’ surgery applications. Mr. Chan was also given a bravery medal.
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The agreement was attacked by National Security Minister Itama Ben Gvir, who supported the death penalty for terrorists despite hostage families’ objections. He referred to it as a “dangerous precedent” that “repeats past mistakes” in a post on X, the former Twitter platform, referencing the 2011 agreement that saw the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit following his five-year detention by Hamas.
