Palestine's Hamas Denies Reports About Progress on Prisoner Exchange With Israel
Palestine's Hamas movement, which controls the Gaza Strip, has denied recent reports about there being any progress on negotiating a prisoner exchange with Israel, the member of Hamas Political Bureau Musa Dudin said on Friday
In early November, the UK Independent Arabia news outlet reported that the parties had advanced in negotiations on a prisoner swap deal during talks in Cairo.
"A member of Hamas Political Bureau in charge of the prisoners rebuffs any reports in media on progress and changes on the issue [of the prisoner exchange]," Dudin said in a statement.
He also added that the Israeli authorities were responsible for the lack of developments.
In August, Head of Hamas Political Bureau Ismail Haniyeh said that the movement was ready to start indirect negotiations on a prisoner swap deal with Israel.
However, in early November, Yaron Blum, Israel's chief negotiator for prisoners of war and soldiers missing in action, stated that the parties would not advance on the issue as Hamas did not want to accept realistic conditions to settle disputes.
In 2011, Egypt mediated similar negotiations between Israel and Hamas, which Israel designates as a terrorist organization. According to the concluded deal, Israel released over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for its soldier captured in the Gaza Strip. Now, Hamas demands the release of dozens of its members, while Israel seeks to return two Israelis, as well as the remains of two soldiers that are believed to have been held by Hamas since 2014.