[JURIST] The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Wednesday released Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister Naser al-Shaer, detained in August [Reuters report] for his membership in Hamas after Hamas members in Gaza seized an Israeli soldier. Thirty-one Hamas lawmakers are still in detention, and on Monday an IDF military court ordered the continued detention of most of them [JURIST report], reversing a previous decision to free them on bail [JURIST report]. Israel considers the Hamas movement [CFR backgrounder] a terrorist group, and insisted on taking the lawmakers into custody even if they were not directly involved in terrorist activities and despite their status as democratically elected Palestinian officials.

A lawyer for Shaer said a military court had decided that not enough evidence supported the prosecution's case for Shaer to remain in custody. Reuters has more.