Hamas Declares Willingness to Exchange All Israeli Soldiers for Palestinian Prisoners

Hamas Official Offers to Swap Israeli Soldiers for Palestinian Prisoners

A senior Hamas official announced on Wednesday that the Islamist movement is willing to release all Israeli soldiers it currently holds captive in exchange for all Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. This comes as negotiations are underway to extend a truce over Gaza.

Bassem Naim, a Hamas official and former Gaza health minister, stated that the group is engaged in “hard negotiations” to prolong the cessation of hostilities, which was set to end on Thursday after a six-day pause in fighting. “We are ready to release all soldiers in exchange for all our prisoners,” Naim declared during a press conference in Cape Town, South Africa, where he was visiting.

In October, Gaza’s Hamas group seized approximately 240 captives from southern Israel in a major attack that resulted in the deaths of around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli officials. In response, Israel has vowed to eliminate Hamas and has launched an air and ground campaign that the Hamas government claims has killed nearly 15,000 people, the majority of whom are civilians.

Since the truce agreement, 60 Israeli hostages and 180 Palestinian prisoners have been released, bringing joy to their families. However, there are still soldiers held by Hamas who are not included in the exchange agreement, and the Islamist movement is likely to use them as a significant bargaining chip.

Activist groups report that there are over 7,000 Palestinians currently incarcerated in Israeli jails, many of whom are more prominent figures than the youngsters and women who have been freed so far. In October, Hamas had already demanded the release of all Palestinian prisoners, but at that time, they offered to release all hostages in return.

As efforts intensify to extend the ceasefire, a source close to Hamas has stated that the group is willing to prolong the truce by another four days and release more Israeli hostages. “We are trying with the mediators to negotiate a permanent ceasefire,” Naim stated.

In other news, Israel’s army is investigating a report from Hamas’s armed wing that a 10-month-old baby hostage, along with his four-year-old brother and their mother, were killed in Gaza. Naim confirmed that these individuals were among the 60 Israelis killed under Israeli bombardment and are still under the rubble.

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