Hamas eyes swap deal that makes prisoners and their families happy

Hamas spokesman Hammad Al-Reqib has said that the movement has Israeli soldiers in captivity enough to agree a swap deal that makes prisoners and their families happy, Quds Press reported on Monday.

“The Shalit prisoner swap [between Israel and Hamas in 2011] will not be the last one,” he told a prisoner solidarity gathering in Gaza City. “The will of the [Palestinian] resistance will be fulfilled.”

Al-Reqib reiterated that the Israeli occupation would pay the price for its “evasion” from reality regarding resistance and having a number of Israeli soldiers in its hands. “Hamas,” he stressed, “will not ignore the prisoners and will free them despite the stubbornness of the Israeli occupation.” He also noted that Al-Quds Intifada had started a new stage of expansion.

Furthermore, he condemned the detention of the 14-year-old daughter of the recent Palestinian gunman in Jerusalem. Arresting children, the Hamas spokesman insisted, is a sign of “security bankruptcy.”

For his part, Islamic Jihad leader Khalid Al-Batch, who spoke at the same event, said that the Palestinians are approaching a prisoner swap. He also said that Al-Quds Intifada will be continuous until it achieves victory. The release of the prisoners held by Israel, he added, is a priority for the Palestinian resistance.