Hamas leader's brother released early from US prison after Biden's pardons and commutations spree

The brother of former Hamas political wing chairman Khaled Mashaal was unexpectedly released from the US prison where he was held last week following a wave of pardons and commutations by President Joe Biden.The US has not confirmed the release, but the story has been widely reported in Arab media. According to the Jerusalem Post, Mashaal was released after serving 16 years and will spend one year in a rehabilitation facility.

The terms of four other American Palestinians were shortened as well, in some case by dozens of years, including Muhammad al-Zain, a relative of Hamas Deputy Chairman Musa Abu Marzouk. Far-left and international activists have called on Biden to release the so-called “Holy Land Foundation Five” who were convicted during the trial: Shukri Abu-Baker, Ghassan Elashi, Mufid Abdulqader, Abdulrahman Odeh, and Mohammad Elmezain.

The news comes as rumors continue to swirl about a possible hostage deal between Hamas and Israel. Hamas still holds over 100 hostages, including 7 Americans, some of whom are already dead, but the terrorist group has been holding the bodies since the Oct 7 massacre.

Mofid Abdel Kader Mashaal was sentenced to 20 years for financing Hamas through the Holy Land Foundation, which used to be one of the largest Islamic charitable organizations in the US. The 2008 case was the largest terror trial in US history. Those involved were convicted of providing material support to Hamas, a designated foreign terrorist organization. During the trial, the Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR) was named as an unindicted co-conspirator by the US Justice Department, yet many progressive Democratic candidates and politicians still accept the group's endorsement and donations from its donors.

On Thursday, the White House announced that Biden was commuting the sentences of approximately 1,500 people and pardoning 39 more, claiming it was for people convicted of non-violent crimes. It is the most pardons/commutations a president has made in US history. It remains unclear if Mashaal’s release is part of the pardons and commutations.