Israeli authorities released on Thursday (January 5) the longest-serving Palestinian freedom fighter Karim Younis after spending 40 years behind Israeli bars for kidnapping and murdering an Israeli soldier.

Younis, 66, from the Arab-Israeli town of Ara in northern Israel, was detained on January 6, 1983, for his resistance of the Israeli occupation and sentenced to life in prison, which was later commuted to 40 years.

Translation of the interview with Karim Younes:
05:56-06:40
"Certainly, I went out to a world that is not like the one I left, I came out of a country that is not like the country I see today, but we consider our presence in prison a station of struggle and our transition from one stage to another, and we considered that our mere steadfastness in prison is part of our struggle and it is our main struggle But the years did not affect us because from the beginning we were ready to sacrifice and we will sacrifice more for the sake of the freedom of Palestine and its independence, and for the sake of the cause and the sons of our people and the return, the return of refugees from everywhere, this is our destiny and this is our struggle and it will remain, God willing."
06:40-07:05
"This is something that I did not dream about, and I want to tell you something. It is possible that I expected to receive my family and friends after my liberation from the Israeli prison, and I dreamed about this thing, but this love and this unprecedented reception expresses something. It expresses the love and kindness of our people, loyalty and giving."
07:05-07:29
"I know even in the diaspora camps today they celebrate, and I know in Gaza they celebrate everywhere, and I salute them wherever they are, and I am sure that the diaspora camps are the source and through them and through our dispersed and displaced people our revolution was launched".

This footage was filmed and produced 5 January 2023.

Israeli authorities released the longest-serving Palestinian freedom fighter Karim Younis after spending 40 years behind Israeli bars for kidnapping and murdering an Israeli soldier. Younis, 66, from Arab-Israeli town of Ara in northern Israel, was detained on January 6, 1983, for his resistance of the Israeli occupation and sentenced to life in prison, which was later commuted to 40 years. Today he is welcomed by friends and relatives following his release.

Translation of the interview with Karim Younes:
05:56-06:40
"Certainly, I went out to a world that is not like the one I left, I came out of a country that is not like the country I see today, but we consider our presence in prison a station of struggle and our transition from one stage to another, and we considered that our mere steadfastness in prison is part of our struggle and it is our main struggle But the years did not affect us because from the beginning we were ready to sacrifice and we will sacrifice more for the sake of the freedom of Palestine and its independence, and for the sake of the cause and the sons of our people and the return, the return of refugees from everywhere, this is our destiny and this is our struggle and it will remain, God willing."
06:40-07:05
"This is something that I did not dream about, and I want to tell you something. It is possible that I expected to receive my family and friends after my liberation from the Israeli prison, and I dreamed about this thing, but this love and this unprecedented reception expresses something. It expresses the love and kindness of our people, loyalty and giving."
07:05-07:29
"I know even in the diaspora camps today they celebrate, and I know in Gaza they celebrate everywhere, and I salute them wherever they are, and I am sure that the diaspora camps are the source and through them and through our dispersed and displaced people our revolution was launched".