Israel on Monday freed six Palestinian MPs from Hamas who were detained in 2006 following the capture of an Israeli soldier by Palestinian groups, officials said. According to AFP, a seventh MP was released late Sunday, bringing to 31 the total number of Hamas lawmakers released in recent months.
A spokeswoman for the Israeli Prisons Authority conveyed the six lawmakers were freed on Monday because the period of their administrative detention had expired. None of the MPs was charged with anything.
The MPs were among the more than 60 Hamas elected officials, who were detained by Israel as part of a crackdown on the Palestinian group following the June 2006 capture of the soldier. Fifteen of the elected officials remain in custody, according to Palestinian officials.
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