Trump Weighs Barghouti Release for Post-Hamas Gaza Leadership/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ President Donald Trump says he’s considering asking Israel to release Marwan Barghouti, a widely popular Palestinian leader imprisoned since 2002, as part of plans to shape post-Hamas governance in Gaza. Trump acknowledged the issue is actively being discussed within the White House. Vice President JD Vance also announced that Gaza reconstruction could begin soon in Hamas-free areas.
Trump Weighs Barghouti Release: Gaza Peace Quick Looks
- Trump says Barghouti’s release “being considered” amid Gaza leadership discussions
- Barghouti, a key Fatah figure, is serving multiple life sentences in Israel
- He is viewed by Palestinians as a unifying leader, possibly the “Palestinian Mandela”
- Israel excluded Barghouti from its latest hostage-prisoner exchange with Hamas
- The U.S. seeks credible Palestinian leadership to stabilize Gaza after ceasefire
- VP JD Vance says Gaza reconstruction in cleared areas could start soon
- Vance estimates Rafah may take up to three years to fully rebuild
Deep Look: Trump Mulls Barghouti Release to Shape Gaza’s Post-Hamas Future
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump revealed that his administration is actively considering requesting the release of Marwan Barghouti, a prominent Palestinian political figure long imprisoned by Israel, as the U.S. charts a postwar roadmap for leadership in Gaza.
In a recent interview with Time magazine, Trump disclosed that he was briefed on the subject just moments before the call.
“I was literally being confronted with that question about 15 minutes before you called,” Trump told the interviewer. “So I’ll be making a decision.”
Barghouti, 66, is a senior figure within the Fatah movement and is widely viewed as the most popular and potentially unifying leader among Palestinians. His name did not appear among those freed earlier this month in a prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas, despite reported calls by Hamas negotiators for his inclusion.
The White House has declined to officially comment on the deliberations, but Trump’s statement highlights the strategic discussions underway as Washington and Tel Aviv work to prevent Hamas from regaining political or military control in the Gaza Strip.
Barghouti has been incarcerated since 2002, convicted of involvement in deadly attacks during the second Palestinian intifada. Israeli authorities accused him of leading the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a Fatah-linked armed group blamed for orchestrating several attacks that killed five Israelis. He was sentenced to five consecutive life terms after being convicted in 2004. Barghouti refused to recognize the legitimacy of the Israeli court and did not offer a defense.
Despite his imprisonment, Barghouti remains a powerful political figure. Palestinian polls consistently show him leading in hypothetical presidential elections. Many Palestinians compare him to Nelson Mandela, due to both his imprisonment and his reputation as a strong but unifying voice who supports peace alongside resistance to occupation.
His blend of support for a two-state solution and endorsement of “armed resistance” makes him both a potential bridge-builder and a divisive figure. For Israel, his popularity is seen as a double-edged sword: Barghouti could help unify Palestinians politically, but he could also empower movements that challenge Israeli control in contested areas.
Most of the prisoners Israel released during the recent ceasefire negotiations were either Hamas members or Fatah operatives arrested during the early 2000s. Many of those individuals were implicated in attacks targeting Israeli civilians or military personnel. Following their release, most were deported to Gaza or exiled to third-party countries.
The second intifada, which erupted in the early 2000s, was marked by widespread Palestinian unrest, suicide bombings, and retaliatory Israeli military operations. Over that period, hundreds of Israelis and several thousand Palestinians lost their lives.
While Trump’s consideration of Barghouti’s release marks a significant potential diplomatic move, U.S. officials are also beginning to lay the groundwork for rebuilding Gaza.
Speaking in Tel Aviv at the conclusion of a three-day visit to Israel, Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that reconstruction could start soon in areas deemed clear of Hamas.
“We could start reconstruction of the areas that are free of Hamas very quickly,” said Vance. “We think that we could potentially get hundreds of thousands of Gazans living in that area very quickly.”
However, Vance cautioned that some areas, particularly the southern city of Rafah, may require years to rebuild. “It could take two to three years,” he noted.
Rafah was among the hardest-hit areas during the recent military operations. Once a refuge for Palestinians fleeing conflict zones across the strip, the city’s population swelled in early phases of the war — only to face devastation from Israeli airstrikes and ground incursions.
In Washington, the conversation around Gaza’s future now hinges on several key issues: Who will govern the strip? What political structures will emerge? And what role will formerly imprisoned figures like Barghouti play in reshaping the Palestinian political landscape?
If Trump formally calls on Israel to release Barghouti, it would represent a major departure from decades of U.S. policy toward Palestinian prisoners. It could also challenge Israeli leadership, which continues to regard Barghouti as a convicted terrorist, not a legitimate political actor.
Still, Trump’s unpredictability and emphasis on realpolitik suggest that traditional diplomatic lines may be redrawn — especially if it leads to a more stable Gaza free of Hamas influence.
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