Protestors waiting for Gilad Shalit
Photo: Yaron Brener
Hamas: Progress made ahead of swap deal 'unsatisfactory'
Person in charge of Gilad Shalit portfolio on behalf of Palestinian organization asks Palestinian prisoners' families to be patient. 'There are still a number of phases that must be worked out before a deal is secured,' he says
The person in charge of the Gilad Shalit
portfolio on behalf of Hamas,
Dr. Osama al-Muzeini, says there has been progress ahead of a prisoner exchange deal with Israel,
but that it is not satisfactory.
He refused to say who was mediating the process. "We cannot provide details so that we don't hurt our prisoners. All this talk hurts the issue. I ask the media not to burrow into the issue too much."
Al-Muzeini said Sunday that reports that a deal securing the release of the captured Israeli soldier was around the corner were inaccurate. "There are still a number of phases that must be worked out before a deal is secured," he said.
Opinion
Eitan Haber
Politicians have said all there is to say by now; nation is ready for Shalit swap
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also addressed the issue on Sunday, in an attempt to lower expectations following optimistic Arab and German reports on an imminent prisoner exchange deal.
"We are not facing a breakthrough tomorrow of the day after," Netanyahu said at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting Sunday.
Addressing the wave of reports, he clarified that "the talks about it are unfounded. There are too many talks about (klidnapped soldier) Gilad Shalit – and moreover, there is a lot of exaggeration and a lot of inaccurate information."
Gilad Shalit was kidnapped into the Gaza Strip 1,162 days ago. Over the weekend, his family marked his fourth birthday in captivity.
