Israel rejects freeing from prison the most popular Palestinian leader

Israels latest Gaza ceasefire deal excludes Marwan Barghouti, the most popular Palestinian leader, from the list of around 250 prisoners to be released in exchange for hostages held by Hamas. While Israel plans to free members of Hamas and Fatah jailed since the 2000s, Hamas insists on Barghoutis release, viewing him as a unifying figure and potential successor to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.