- BIST10011,705-0.78%
- USD49.58+0.05%
- EUR55.62+0.09%
- GOLD4,142.10-0.01%
- INTEREST37.00%-1.00
- BITCOIN83,488+0.66%
- October 21, 202619°
- BIST10011,705-0.78%
- USD49.58+0.05%
- EUR55.62+0.09%
- GOLD4,142.10-0.01%
- INTEREST37.00%-1.00
- BITCOIN83,488+0.66%
- October 21, 202619°
Lebanese man Malik Razi released by Israel after nearly 11 months
Lebanese national Malik Kemal Razi was handed over to the Lebanese army through the Red Cross at the Naqoura border crossing after nearly 11 months in detention. Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office said the five released individuals were not affiliated with any organization and had not participated in terrorist activities.
Lebanese national Malik Kemal Razi was released by Israel on Thursday after nearly 11 months in detention. Razi was handed over to the Lebanese army through the International Committee of the Red Cross at the Naqoura border crossing.
Born in 2005, Razi is from Ain Ata, a town in the Rashaya district of eastern Lebanon. He disappeared on October 12, 2025, after setting out on his motorcycle to exercise in a mountainous area near his town. After his motorcycle was found, local residents and volunteers conducted search efforts.
It later became clear that Razi had been detained by Israel. Israel’s official broadcaster had described Razi as a Hezbollah member. However, Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office said an investigation had established that the five people whose release was approved were not affiliated with any terrorist organization and had not engaged in terrorist activities.
Calls for action over detentions in Lebanon
Lebanese lawyer and parliamentarian Melhem Khalaf said the released individuals retained the right to seek an investigation and accountability for any violations they may have suffered in detention, as well as compensation for their losses. Khalaf said defining a person as a detainee or prisoner of war did not make the detention legally legitimate.
A legal document issued by the Lebanese National Human Rights Commission on December 15, 2025, includes cases involving Lebanese people detained or missing during civilian activities. The document lists the cases of two medical workers detained in Ainata al-Shaab in November 2024, two workers stopped while traveling to a civilian job in Wadi al-Hujayr on December 19, 2024, two fishermen detained off Naqoura in February and June 2025, and a shepherd detained in the Sheikh Mountain area on June 7, 2025.
The commission said that incidents it identified as having taken place particularly after the ceasefire and during entirely civilian activities could constitute arbitrary detention. The document also highlighted the possibility of enforced disappearance, the unlawful transfer of detainees to Israel, torture and denial of medical care.
Different accounts of the number of detainees
Academic and former detainee Nabih Awada said data from organizations representing Lebanese detainees and the relevant Lebanese authorities indicated that 36 Lebanese detainees were alive in Israeli prisons. Awada said Israel had stated that it was holding 33 Lebanese nationals.
According to Awada, 21 of these people were detained while trying to return to their villages after the ceasefire that took effect on November 27, 2024. Awada also said that six people were standing trial in Israel, that Israel considered between seven and 10 people to be linked to Hezbollah’s Radwan Force, and that the remaining detainees had not been placed in that category.
Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office linked the release of Razi and the others to efforts to locate the remains of members of the Jewish community who were kidnapped and killed in Lebanon in the mid-1980s. Lebanese officials, meanwhile, said the process was connected to pressure being exerted within the framework of President Joseph Aoun’s contacts with Washington to preserve the ceasefire, secure the release of detainees and ensure Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanese territory.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said after Razi’s release that he would continue working for the release of all detainees and to determine the fate of missing people. The Lebanese government considers civilians detained on Lebanese territory to be abductees rather than prisoners of war, on the grounds that there has been no reciprocal prisoner exchange.
Further handovers expected in Naqoura
A Lebanese official said four more people were scheduled to be handed over to the Red Cross in Naqoura on Friday. The individuals, including two Syrians, will undergo medical checks before being handed over to the Lebanese army and then reunited with their families.
On the day Razi was released, Israeli forces entered the town of Hulta in southern Lebanon and detained three people. Israel therefore released a Lebanese national after stating that there were no grounds to keep him detained, while detaining other people on the same day.
Khalaf said the Geneva Convention contains protection provisions for prisoners of war, while the Fourth Geneva Convention provides protections for civilians held in international armed conflicts. These provisions cover humane treatment, protection from torture and ill-treatment, medical care, communication with families and fair-trial guarantees.
Similar long-term detention without charges or trial has also been documented in the case of Palestinians in Gaza. Israel has used its 2002 “unlawful combatants” law to detain people without charging them and for renewable periods, according to the account.
According to Lebanese authorities, Israeli attacks that have continued since March 2 have killed 4,350 people, injured 12,307 and displaced more than 1 million.
Stay Updated with Hilal Times
Subscribe to be informed about special news, developments and announcements. We will keep you informed.
By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy
