Israeli activist in Gaza to revive prisoners file
In a rare move, Hamas allowed an Israeli activist to enter Gaza for talks with the movement’s leaders on the possibility of reaching a prisoner swap deal after Hamas’ military wing posted a video clip of one of its Israeli prisoners lying sick in a hospital bed.
For the first time since taking control of the Gaza Strip in the summer of 2007, Hamas consented to Israel’s request that an Israeli figure enter the coastal enclave for talks with its leaders on the possibility of reaching a prisoner swap deal, after such talks had been stalled for eight months.
Hamas' move came after its military wing, Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, posted a video on June 28 of Hisham al-Sayed, an Israeli citizen held prisoner inside Gaza, in which he is seen lying in a hospital bed and connected to a ventilator.
The video seemed to be an attempt by Hamas to send a message to the Israeli community and mobilize the families of the Israeli soldiers who are detained by the movement (who Israel says are dead). It also seemed to convey a message that Sayed, who already suffers from mental health issues, may die because his health condition has deteriorated due to Israel’s incompetency in dealing with this file. It seems also aimed at pressuring Israeli society to take serious actions to save him.
On June 29, the Israeli channel Kan reported that Hamas has agreed to let an Israeli activist into Gaza in an attempt to start contacts on a potential prisoner swap deal. According to Kan, Israeli left-wing activist Yoel Marshak has been working for years on promoting a civil initiative to resolve the prisoners and disappeared dossier. The latter was granted permission to enter Gaza and open a channel to direct dialogue in a bid to push the file forward, Kan reported.
