UN envoy: ‘We are still far from a prisoner swap deal between Hamas, Israel’

Nikolay Mladenov, United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, speaks during a press conference, in Gaza city on 15 July, 2018 [Ashraf Amra/Apaimages]

UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East peace process Nikolay Mladenov ruled out that a prisoner swap between the Israeli occupation and Hamas taking place soon, Arab48 reported yesterday.

During Jerusalem Post’s Diplomatic Conference, Mladenov said: “We are still far from a prisoner swap between Israel and Hamas.”

The UN official commented on news reports that there had been progress in the Israeli-Palestinian talks regarding a prisoner swap, noting that Israel had agreed to Hamas’ condition to start the talks to release all prisoners who were rearrested following their release in the previous prisoner swap deal in 2011.

Read: Shin Bet, Israel army oppose plan to worsen conditions for Palestinian prisoners

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