The Israeli soldiers believed captured by Hamas during the recent 51-day Israeli war on the Gaza Strip are considered cards of strength in the hands of Hamas in light of the economic and political crisis it is incurring due to the strict Israeli siege on the Strip.
Observers said Hamas might them to oblige Israel to lift the siege, in addition to seeking the release of new batches of Palestinian prisoners held in the Israeli jails.
Israel announced the death of two of its soldiers during the war, their bodies were never found. Hamas announced it captured only one of these soldiers, without saying if he was alive or dead.
There are reports that Hamas is in possession of more than the bodies of the two soldiers, regardless to whether they are alive or dead.
Palestinian political analyst Talal Okal told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed website that Hamas might use the “bodies” of the two soldiers to accelerate the reconstruction of Gaza and lift the siege. He noted that Hamas would insist on using them to release prisoners.
However, he expected Israel not to respond “quickly” to Hamas as it is attempting to recapture its soldiers in a different way to avoid Hamas’ demands.
Another Palestinian analyst Ibrahim Al-Madhoun affirmed Okal’s views, but he added that Israel would not deal seriously with the issue of the soldiers unless the government faces internal pressure.
“If that pressure was achieved, then the Israeli government will seriously discuss the issue of the soldiers and might lift the siege and release prisoners,” Al-Madhoun told Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed.
Al-Madhoun said the indirect talks between Hamas and Israel would not resume soon because Egypt, the Palestinian Authority and Israel are all interested in weakening Hamas before the talks so it is unable to achieve its political goals in the region.