Ali Yousef Najib Subaih could not contain his joy as he was finally reunited with his beloved wife after spending over two decades in Israeli captivity. Subaih, who had been arrested by the Israeli army in May 2001, was released as part of a hostage exchange deal under a ceasefire agreement.
Despite enduring years of imprisonment and torture in Israeli prisons, Subaih kept his wife’s wedding ring with him throughout his confinement. “I kept my wedding ring for 25 years to put it on her finger on a day like this,” he shared, expressing the deep hope that had kept him going all these years.
Subaih’s release came on Thursday, as part of the third round of a prisoner swap under the ceasefire agreement. Israel released 110 Palestinian detainees in exchange for Hamas freeing three Israeli captives and five Thai nationals.
The emotional reunion of Subaih and his wife marked the end of a long separation. In a touching moment, Subaih placed the wedding ring back on his wife’s finger, symbolizing the love and resilience they had held onto through the hardship.
Subaih’s story mirrors that of many Palestinian detainees who have endured wrongful imprisonment and emerged from years of confinement as part of the larger ceasefire deal. Earlier, Mohammad Omar Zayed, who was also released in the same exchange, shared a similar emotional story. He too had been separated from his wife for over 20 years.
Zayed, a man known for his daily tradition of gifting his wife a rose, presented her with a rose on the day of his release, continuing the cherished gesture that had been paused for two decades. His wife, in turn, served him a cup of coffee, a simple yet profound moment of connection after years of separation.
Subaih, Zayed, and countless other Palestinian families are now experiencing long-awaited reunions, which symbolize the enduring power of love and resilience despite years of separation caused by the brutalities of Israeli oppression.
