A senior Hamas official says the Islamist militants are ready to release all the Israeli soldiers it is holding captive in exchange for all Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.
Hamas official and former Gaza health minister Bassem Naim said the group was going through “hard negotiations” even after it agreed to continue it’s truce on Thursday after a six-day pause in fighting.
“We are ready to release all soldiers in exchange for all our prisoners,” Naim told a press conference in Cape Town, during a visit to South Africa.
Gaza militants took about 240 captives from southern Israel in an unprecedented October 7 attack that Israeli officials say killed around 1,200 people, most of them civilians.
In response, Israel has unleashed an air and ground campaign that the Hamas government says has killed nearly 15,000 people, also mostly civilians.
Sixty Israeli hostages and 180 Palestinian prisoners have been released under the truce agreement so far following mediation by Qatar, with the US and Egypt also playing support roles.
Among the hostages still held by Hamas are soldiers who are excluded from the exchange agreement, and the Islamist movement might use them as an important bargaining chip.
Activist groups say there are more than 7,000 Palestinians in Israeli jails, many of them far more prominent than the youngsters and women freed so far.
In 2011, more than 1,000 Palestinians were exchanged for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who had been taken prisoner by Hamas five years earlier.
9 Responses
I think it is a good moves to restore peace in the region. We all know that war is not what we need because its take the life of the innocent people
This is a good move. Please this cease-fire should be used judiciously, to free all captives.
Any agreement that needed to be entered should be done, to bring about relative peace.
I think that’s the best for all parties as Israel will get its soldiers back and Palestine women and Children detained by Israel will be released too
The problem we know well is islamists. They are our tirelessly problems because they hate Christian or Jewish people.
That’s is my advice to you people stop fighting you are just killing innocent soul that didn’t cause the war and those that cause the war are alive
This Hamas militant should stop providing stobourn is like they don’t want this war to end, some body is stronger you, you still don’t one to summit.
The problem we know well is islamists. They are our tirelessly problems because they hate Christian or Jewish people.
I think problem can’t stop everywhere because we nigerian thay complain and now isreal and Philippines too no get rest, I think there government know what is good for them
Why do humans that preach people while producing something that will work against the peace. We are worse than the animals.