A senior Hamas leader, Dr Salah Bardawil, has revealed that the movement is exerting “intense” efforts to stabilise the current ceasefire agreement with Israel in exchange for lifting the siege imposed on Gaza. This would include opening border crossings, establishing a port and an airport, and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, Quds Press reported.
In his remarks, Bardawil denied that political negotiations are now taking place to put in place a new agreement, and said: “There is no new truce, but we are stabilising the ceasefire agreement that was reached a year ago in Cairo, and we request guarantees from the occupation side. There is also no new negotiation project, but it all revolves around the maintenance of the ceasefire and lifting the siege on Gaza.”
Bardawil also denied the link between the ceasefire agreement and a potential prisoner exchange.
“The issue of prisoners is not connected to the truce at all. We stressed the need to first release the 53 prisoners who were arrested after the kidnapping of the three settlers before we could start to talk about the exchange of prisoners file,” as he put it.