According to a report by the French news agency AFP, following a US-brokered ceasefire agreement under which Hamas released all 20 Israeli hostages in exchange for around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, 154 of those freed Palestinians were exiled to Egypt.

They have been housed in a five-star hotel, where authorities have restricted their movement outside the premises.

The report stated that Egypt had accepted 150 of these prisoners in January, but eight months later, their future remains uncertain.

All of the Palestinians currently in Cairo had been serving life sentences handed down by Israeli military courts on charges including murder and alleged links to resistance groups.

However, the United Nations and human rights organisations have described these trials as unfair and part of Israel’s system of occupation.

The exiled Palestinians in Cairo continue to face a lack of freedom and legal ambiguity.

They are not allowed to work or move freely, while the Egyptian government has yet to take a clear stance on their legal status.

Murad Abu Rub, 45, who was accused of killing four Israeli soldiers in 2006, said that no Arab country is willing to accept them.

“We came here after 20 years of imprisonment, hoping to reunite with our families,” he said. “But we are still living like prisoners. When I was arrested, my sister was 15.

When I saw her on a video call recently, I couldn’t even recognise her.”

Another former prisoner, who spent 22 years in Israeli prisons, described the final moments of his release as the most painful.

“They tied us up, forced us to lie face down, and blindfolded Every moment was filled with fear,” he recalled.

Mahmoud Al-Ardah, 50, said the last two years of his imprisonment were the worst of his life. “We were subjected to daily beatings, insults, and humiliation,” he said.

According to the Palestinian Authority, about 11,000 Palestinians remain in Israeli custody.

Officials say talks are ongoing with countries including Qatar, Türkiye, Malaysia, and Pakistan to determine the future settlement of the exiled prisoners.

Currently, all of them remain in Egypt, with Qatar covering their living expenses.