For the second time in under a month, Egyptian authorities have discreetly relocated a group of exiled Palestinian prisoners. This time, they moved them from a hotel in the New Administrative Capital to a newly constructed tourist enclave in the Suez Governorate.
Two recently released prisoners told Al Manassa they were informed of the move on Sunday. “We were simply told to pack. The buses arrived soon after,” one former prisoner said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “No explanation was given.”
The relocation follows an article published on Oct. 25 in the right-wing British outlet Daily Mail, which described the prisoners as “fanatics,” housed in luxury accommodation “beside sunbathing Western tourists.”
The piece, circulated heavily by Israeli and far-right British outlets, was cited by one of the sources as the likely trigger for the latest transfer.
“Authorities didn’t confirm the reason,” the source said. “But the pattern is clear.”
All prisoners released under both the recent and previous swap deals were relocated Sunday, according to the same source. No additional restrictions were imposed, apart from a curfew requiring them to return by midnight and obtain prior approval for leaving the premises.
Another exiled Palestinian prisoner, also requesting anonymity, acknowledged the “pressures the Egyptian government is under, especially with foreign visitors and delegations in the area.” Still, he described their treatment as respectful. “We’re being treated with dignity. They’re taking care of us,” he said.
Yet none of the men have received official identification papers from Palestinian authorities. “Most of the guys are happy here and want to stay in Egypt,” he added. “But we’re still waiting for our documents.”
On Oct. 14, 154 Palestinian prisoners arrived in Cairo following their release from Israeli prisons as part of a US-brokered exchange. The deal involved the release of 1,700 detainees, including 250 forcibly exiled from the Gaza Strip. US President Donald Trump announced the arrangement on Oct. 9 as part of a temporary ceasefire.
The Daily Mail report, authored by unnamed journalists, included covert photos of prisoners eating and using phones. The tabloid framed their presence as a threat to Western tourists and labeled them “hardened killers,” and “dangerous extremists.”
For two years, Israel’s war on Gaza has devastated the besieged territory, displacing tens of thousands and killing many more. Multiple press watchdogs have documented how Western media continues to amplify Israel’s official narrative while sidelining or erasing Palestinian voices.
