The Israeli government is not serious about releasing prisoners, Ismail Haniyeh said (Hamas)

Doha: Ismail Haniyeh, head of the political wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), has said that Egypt is playing the role of mediator for the exchange of prisoners between Hamas and Israel, but the Zionist government is not serious about the release of prisoners.

He said in a statement that Hamas's military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, had taken several Zionists prisoners of war in the 2014 war, then released Israeli prisoners of war through Egypt and in return released Palestinians held in Israeli jails. The effort is ongoing. Negotiations are underway through Egypt, but no progress has been made.

He said that if Israel responded to Hamas' conditions regarding the prisoner release agreement, Israeli troops would also be released, but that Israel did not appear to be serious about it.

If Israel does not show seriousness, then Hamas has other options, he said. We do not want a nominal deal for the Israeli government to re-arrest Palestinian prisoners after their release.

We need assurances that those released will not be re-arrested. The head of Hamas's political department condemned the campaign to make the occupied West Bank part of the state of Israel and said that West Jordan's Israel We will stop the affiliation with the full force and at all costs