Senior Hamas official: Possible breakthrough regarding prisoner deal

Mousa Abu Marzouk, a member of Hamas’s Political Bureau, said yesterday there is a possibility for progress in prisoner exchange negotiations.

Abu Marzouk told Al-Ghad TV: “There might be lots of breakthroughs in the near future regarding ceasefire negotiations.”

Commenting on governing after the war, he said: “Hamas does not view governing Gaza as an end in itself, and it is in favour of a competent Palestinian government running the sector.”

He pointed out that halting the killings and returning to the northern Gaza Strip are two conditions the movement insists on during negotiations

The senior Hamas member affirmed that the movement has set a condition for the release of 500 Palestinian prisoners for every Israeli detainee, noting that the withdrawal of Israeli forces, especially from the Salah Al-Din area and Rashid Street, are the main obstacle in the negotiations.

In response to Israeli threats of invading Rafah city, Abu Marzouk stated the movement’s unwavering rejection of releasing Israeli detainees in exchange for preventing the invasion.

He stressed that if Israel invaded Rafah, it would be worse for them and they would not achieve any of their goals. He emphasised that the resistance movement in Rafah is better prepared.

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