Hanady Halawani has been jailed so many times that the Palestinian activist has lost count. She has been imprisoned for such long durations that she has achieved a Zen-like indifference to her fate, TRT World reports.

But even for this 44-year-old battle-hardened activist, the 12 hours she spent at the Al Moscobiyeh prison in occupied East Jerusalem seemed like a never-ending wait for freedom.

Israeli troops barged into her home in occupied East Jerusalem on October 9 and detained the mother of four — two days after Hamas fighters launched an unprecedented cross-border operation against Israel.

After spending 53 days behind bars, she was selected for release along with 14 other Palestinian women during the sixth phase of a tense hostage swap deal between Israel and Hamas, which took place during the weeklong ceasefire in Gaza in the last week of November.

Upon her release, she shared a first-hand account of the deteriorating jail conditions that 7,000 plus Palestinians are forced to endure.

Read the full story here.

Hanady Halwani in the Mount of Olives on December 3. — TRT World
Hanady Halwani in the Mount of Olives on December 3. — TRT World

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