Resistance fighters of Al-Qassam Brigades. Photo: AFP/Getty Images.
Hamas suspends negotiations with “Israel,” demanding the release of Palestinian prisoners as “Israel” delays the release of the seventh batch of prisoners due to be freed through the exchange deal.
Mahmoud Mardawi, a senior official in the Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas, stated on Sunday that the movement will not engage in any talks with “Israel” through mediators regarding any steps until the Palestinian prisoners designated to be released on Saturday are freed.
In a statement published on Telegram, Mardawi added that there will be no discussions with the enemy through mediators on any steps before the release of the agreed-upon Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the “Israeli| prisoners and bodies released on Saturday.
He emphasized, “The mediators must oblige the enemy to implement the agreement.”
On Thursday and Saturday, Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, handed over 10 “Israeli” prisoners, including six alive, to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to deliver them to “Tel Aviv” (occupied Yaffa) as part of an agreement stipulating the Zionist entity’s release of 620 Palestinian prisoners from its jails.
Palestinian Resistance Condemns Israel’s Delay in Prisoner Swap, Calls on Mediators to Intervene
Despite Hamas fulfilling its commitment under the agreement, “Israel” has not yet released the Palestinian prisoners.
Early on Sunday, the office of “Israeli” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated in a press release that the decision to postpone the release of Palestinian prisoners would continue until the next batch is secured, without what it described as “humiliating ceremonies.”
Netanyahu’s office claimed that “Hamas deliberately insults the dignity of prisoners and exploits them to promote political goals.”
Meanwhile, the US President’s Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff stated that he will visit the Middle East this week to negotiate a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Hamas and “Israel.”
The “Israeli” newspaper Israel Hayom quoted sources as saying that the decision to halt the release of 600 Palestinian prisoners is “an attempt to reshape the rules of the game with Hamas.” However, the sources noted that the political leadership has a history of misjudging Hamas’s positions.
The same sources said, “If Hamas refuses to concede, it is expected that fighting will resume within two weeks, with Eyal Zamir assuming the role of Chief of Staff.”
