Hamas
says an Israeli soldier it has captured two years ago will "not see the light" until Palestinian prisoners are released in a prisoner exchange.
The Israeli soldier, Corp. Gilad Shalit, was captured
by Gaza militants in a cross-border raid in June 2006. Egyptian-led talks over a prisoner swap have been bogged down.
Hamas has demanded the release of over hundreds of prisoners. Israel
has agreed to release some inmates, but has balked at some of those on Hamas' list.
Hamas official Mushir al-Masri said in a speech Friday that "Gilad will not see the light, will not see his mother, will not see his father, God willing, as long as our heroic prisoners do not see their families, in their houses."
A week and-a-half ago, Hamas chief Khaled Mashaal's deputy Moussa Abu Marzouk said
the Islamist group would not release kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit unless Israel releases 350 Palestinian prisoners.
In an interview with Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Qabas, Abu Marzouk said if Israel does not comply with Hamas' demands "we will hold on to Shalit and we will negotiate the return of his bones (to Israel)."
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