Middle East Monitor / December 15, 2022
Hamas yesterday warned it would end talks on a potential prisoner swap with Israel, the movement’s leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, said.
“In the face of the occupation’s stalling on this issue, we announce that we give them a limited time to finalize this deal,” Sinwar said.
“Otherwise, we will close the case of the four enemy prisoners from the side of the resistance forever,” he said during his movement’s 35th anniversary celebration.
“Then, we will find another way to release the Palestinian prisoners,” he said, without giving more details.
Sinwar revealed that his movement was involved in secret rounds of talks on the issue of a prisoner swap.
During the 51-day Israel aggression on Gaza in 2014, Al-Qassam Brigades captured two Israeli soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin. Israel said they died on the battlefield and their bodies are being withheld.
Two other Israelis, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, were also detained.
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Hamas sets ultimatum for Israel to reach prisoner swap deal
Middle East Monitor / December 14, 2022
Palestinian resistance group on Wednesday set an ultimatum for Israel to reach a prisoner swap deal.
“Hamas held rounds of secret negotiations with the occupation over the prisoners file over the past time,” Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, said in a speech during a festival held in Gaza City to mark the 35th anniversary of the group’s founding.
He said Hamas has demanded during the negotiations the release of prisoners, who had been freed under a 2011 prisoner swap deal with Israel, as well as women and children held in Israeli prisons.
Sinwar threatened “to close the file of Israeli soldiers held by Hamas for good.”
“Then, we will find another way to liberate the Palestinian detainees,” the Hamas leader said, without specifying any date for suspending the negotiations on any prisoner exchange deal with Israel.
There was no comment from the Israeli authorities on the Hamas leader’s statements.
Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, is believed to hold four Israelis, two of whom were captured following the 2014 Israeli offensive on the seaside territory. Two other Israelis are believed to have been held after they entered Gaza under unclear circumstances.
