A member of the Hamas political bureau has said that international mediators are not pushing for progress in the prisoner-swap issue between the resistance movement and Israel due to their lack of confidence in “the occupation authorities” after the failure of previous mediation efforts.
Speaking to journalists, Dr Mahmoud Al-Zahar said that the terms of any new swap agreement would be simple: “Prisoners in exchange for prisoners.” He pointed out that the selection of the prisoners to be released in any deal will be made in partnership with the Palestinians being held by Israel.
Al-Zahar called for international mediators to ensure that those released from prison are not immediately re-arrested by Israel, as has happened on previous occasions. The Hamas official stressed that this is one of the most important challenges facing the prisoner-swap talks.