Hamas leader says Marwan Barghouti a priority for next prisoner swap with Israel
Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh promises the wife of prominent Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti that her husband will be a priority for the next swap deal with Israel.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — A prominent Hamas leader told Al-Monitor that the movement’s chief, Ismail Haniyeh, promised Fadwa al-Barghouti, the wife of senior Fatah leader Marwan al-Barghouti, that her husband’s name will be on top of the list of released prisoners in any swap deal between Hamas and Israel.
On June 10 in Cairo, Haniyeh received Barghouti’s wife in the presence of several prominent leaders of the movement.
The Hamas source, who spoke to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity and who was present at the meeting, said Haniyeh assured Fadwa al-Barghouti that Hamas is adamant that her husband be released in any future prisoner exchange deal with Israel, and spoke highly of her husband’s history in the Palestinian struggle.
Haniyeh arrived in Cairo on June 8 at the head of a delegation from the movement’s leadership to hold talks with Egyptian officials on several issues, most notably the conclusion of a new prisoner swap deal with Israel.
