No prisoner swap until Israel fulfils our conditions, insists Hamas

Hamas stressed on Monday that it would never accept a prisoner swap deal until Israel fulfils the conditions set by the movement, Masralarabia.com has reported. “The only way to free the Israeli soldiers captured by Al-Qassam Brigades,” explained spokesman Mosheer Al-Masri, “is through negotiations under Hamas conditions.”

What he called Israeli “evasion from paying the price” for a new prisoner swap will not succeed with Hamas and its military wing, he insisted. “[Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and his army have to know that their military power, security abilities and international mediators will not be able to free their soldiers. The only way to free them is the freedom of our prisoners [held by Israel] and seeing them reunited with their families.”

Al-Masri called on Netanyahu not to imitate his predecessor. “He should not fall into the same trap as [Ehud] Olmert and delay the swap for five years.” Time, he added, is on the Palestinian side.

Al-Qassam Brigades say that it has four Israelis, including two soldiers captured during the last military offensive against Gaza in 2014. The Hamas armed wing has never given any details about their conditions, or said whether they are alive or dead.

Israel claims that they are dead, but has not offered any evidence for this. Meanwhile, the family of one of the soldiers, Aron Shaul, has said that it has proof that he is alive.

On Monday, Israeli media reported that the families of the Israeli soldiers captured by Hamas have turned to the judiciary to obtain a ruling which obliges Netanyahu to seek the return of their sons.