Gaza City –
Group Hamas stated that he did not want to negotiate a prisoner exchange with Israel while the war was still going on. At least 150 people have reportedly been detained or taken hostage by Hamas since a major attack was launched on Israel at the weekend.
As reported AFPTuesday (10/10/2023), potential discussions about the fate of 150 people detained by Hamas became increasingly urgent, after the militants who took control Gaza Strip it threatened to execute hostages if Israel launched airstrikes without giving citizens prior warning.
An informed source told AFP that Qatar spearheaded efforts to negotiate a prisoner exchange between Hamas and Israel.
Dozens of people were kidnapped and held hostage by Hamas when the militants stormed cities in southern Israel, on Saturday (7/10) local time, under a barrage of rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory.
Talks regarding the release of dozens of people held hostage or detained by Hamas, according to the source, have made ‘some progress’.
Nevertheless, one of the Hamas officials Hossam Badran told AFP that there is ‘no chance’ of negotiating a prisoner exchange while the conflict is ongoing with Israel.
“Military operations are still continuing… therefore, currently there is no opportunity for negotiations regarding the issue of prisoners or anything else,” stressed Badran, speaking from Doha, Qatar.
“Our mission now is to make every effort to prevent the occupation from continuing to carry out massacres against our people in Gaza, directly targeting civilian homes,” he said.
Read the full news on the next page.
(nvc/ita)
2023-10-10 08:51:48
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