Hamas denies Arab media talk about new prisoner swap negotiations with Israel

Qatar’s Al-Araby al-Jadeed reported that talks between Israel and Hamas were renewed through European intermediaries, but the Islamic movement’s spokesman denies it.
Freed Palestinian prisoner Mohammed al-Bashiti, who served 12 years in an Israeli jail after he was convicted of being a member of Hamas' armed wing, is kissed by his aunt upon his release, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, July 25, 2016. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa - S1BETRQHDIAA
Freed Palestinian prisoner Mohammed al-Bashiti, who served 12 years in an Israeli jail after he was convicted of being a member of Hamas' armed wing, is kissed by his aunt upon his release, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, July 25, 2016. - REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa
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Ahmad Abu Amer
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GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The prisoner swap deal between Hamas and Israel has returned to the forefront as competition begins to heat up between Israeli parties seeking to attract voters in the April 9 Knesset elections.

In a Jan. 19 report, Qatar’s London-based Al-Araby al-Jadeed newspaper quoted Hamas sources as saying the group was contacted by an unnamed European country, as well as Cairo, to mediate negotiations with Israel on the swap issue.

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