Hamas Denies Talks with Israel Regarding Prisoner Swap

Israeli_soldiers_captured_tweets — Two Israeli soldiers went missing during Israel’s 2014 offensive on the Gaza Strip. (Photo: via Social Media)

Hamas yesterday denied Israeli claims regarding indirect talks about a new prisoner swap, Masralarabia.com reported.

Hamas spokesperson, Salah Al-Bardaweel, said “Hamas does not have any information about the news regarding a prisoner swap”.

This comes after a claim made earlier yesterday by Israeli newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, that a senior Israeli official stated that Hamas wanted a new prisoner swap, including the release of 50 prisoners arrested after the death of three Israeli Jewish settlers in 2014, as a condition to start talks.

Hamas official: Turkey already mediating prisoner swap between Israel… https://t.co/T125XvsBAe #ArabIsraeliConflict pic.twitter.com/vPt3DWnofy

— The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) June 29, 2016

“The Israeli public has already started a difficult discussion,” he said, noting that Israel is not planning to “pay a price in return for information about whether the Israelis are alive or not”. He added that Israel believes the soldiers are dead.

Two Israeli soldiers went missing during Israel’s 2014 offensive on the Gaza Strip. Israel believes they were captured by Hamas fighters during the war.

(MEMO, PC)