Muslim Brotherhood calls on Hamas to include Jordanian prisoners in upcoming swap

The Islamic Action Front (IAF), the Jordanian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, has called on Hamas to include Jordanian prisoners in Israeli jails in an expected prisoner swap with Israel.

In a statement reported by Anadolu news agency, the IAF announced: “Hope was renewed for the Jordanian prisoners inside Israeli jails in light of a prospective prisoners swap that might take place between the Palestinian resistance and the Israeli occupation.”

The IAF statement added: “Hamas leader Mushir Al-Masri suggested that Palestinians are awaiting a new prisoners swap similar to the Wafaa Al-Ahrar swap agreed between Hamas and Israel in 2011. Thus, we call on the Palestinian resistance to include Jordanian prisoners in the [next] swap.”

Speaking to Anadolu in an earlier interview, Al-Masri had intimated that there would likely be a new prisoners swap with the Israeli occupation in the near future.

The Palestinian fighters kidnapped an Israeli soldier from his military base in June 2006 and in October 2011 they signed a deal with the Israeli occupation, which included the release of the soldier in return for the release of 1,027 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.

Al-Masri did not give any details on whether Hamas currently has any living Israeli prisoners or just an Israeli soldier’s body. While Israel claims that one captured soldier is dead, Hamas only revealed that it had captured one Israeli soldier from the battlefield in Al-Tuffah neighbourhood in central Gaza City, without mentioning whether he was alive or dead.

Jordan’s Foreign Minister Naser Joudeh told the Jordanian parliament on 30 June 2013 that the Israeli occupation is holding 21 Jordanian prisoners.

They are being held in 11 Israeli prisons. The prisoner who has the longest term among them is serving 67 life sentences and the one who has the shortest is serving a two-year term.