Hamas insists Marwan Barghouti be part of any prisoner swap with Israel
Hamas hopes its support for Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, who retains wide popularity, will pay political dividends.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Hamas movement insists on giving imprisoned Fatah Central Committee member Marwan Barghouti priority in any potential prisoner swap deal with Israel.
As soon as the latest war on the Gaza Strip ended May 21, Egypt launched indirect talks between Hamas and Israel to advance a long-term truce between the two parties and discuss mechanisms for the reconstruction of Gaza and a prisoner swap deal.
On July 27, Israel’s Channel 12 quoted a Palestinian source as saying Hamas proposed, through Egyptian mediation, an offer to release two prisoners, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayeed — whom Hamas has said are soldiers and Israel says are civilians — in a first stage. The second stage would involve two missing Israeli soldiers, Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, whom Israel claims were killed in Gaza. Under the deal, Hamas, which has called the missing soldiers prisoners, would release them (or their bodies, as the case may be) in exchange for Barghouti’s freedom. Israel has yet to reply to the offer.
The channel noted that Hamas will only disclose information on Goldin and Shaul after the completion of the first stage. Hamas proposed the release of the Israelis in exchange for the release of 800 prisoners, including Barghouti and all female prisoners, as well as the bodies of about 300 Palestinians.
