Hamas: Israel to pay 'high price' for information about lost soldiers

Senior Hamas official Mohamed Nazzal stressed that Israel has to pay a “high price” for any information about any soldier captured in the Gaza Strip.

Speaking to the Palestinian newspaper Al-Resalah, Nazzal said he considered the demand for names of collaborators in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank for information about the Israeli prisoners a new stage for power balances.

He said Al-Qassam Brigades is the only side which is authorised to announce the number of Israeli prisoners in its hands.

The Brigades announced they caotured Israeli soldier Oron Shaul in clashes with the Israeli occupation forces in Al-Tuffah neighbourhood in eastern Gaza Strip, while Israel announced it lost Hadar Goldin in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, later announcing he was killed in battle.

Nazzal said Israeli prioritised getting information about their soldiers during the Cairo talks. “Israel is used to obtaining free information in return for nothing,” Nazzal said, “the resistance refuses this.”

He also said that talks about potential prisoners’ swaps would be different than the talks going on currently in Cairo, noting that his movement is ready to start the talks.

About the ongoing talks in Cairo, the Hamas official said his movement is interested in “serious” and “real” talks without “wordplay” in order to reach a ceasefire, noting that it is too early to talk about developments that have taken place during the talks.