CAIRO, March 7, 2025 (WAFA) – Palestinian citizen Basem Ibrahim Sabbah passed away on Friday in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, just hours after reuniting with his deported son, Ayham (24), who was released by Israeli occupation authorities on January 25 as part of the second batch of prisoners and detainees freed under the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

According to prisoners’ institutions, Israeli authorities either prevented or delayed the travel of most families of released and deported prisoners, obstructing their reunions.

A video circulated on social media captured the emotional moment Ayham met his father and mother for the first time in nine years in the hallway of a Cairo hotel. Shortly after, the family announced that Ayham’s father had passed away due to a sudden health crisis.

Sabbah was originally from the town of Qaffin, located north of Tulkarm, and had been living with his family in Beitunia, west of Ramallah. His son, Ayham, was shot by Israeli forces on February 18, 2016, at the age of 14, and subsequently detained. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison before being released in January under the Gaza ceasefire agreement and forcibly deported.

Under the ceasefire agreement, Israel has released 1,777 Palestinian detainees, dozens of whom were forcibly deported from Palestine.

T.R.