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Still waiting for Shalit's return
Photo: Dudi Vaaknin

Hamas: Talk about Shalit deal a joke

Hamas denies recent media reports hinting prisoner swap will be completed within days

No reason for optimism: Reports about an imminent deal to secure the release of captive IDF soldier Gilad Shalit are detached from reality, Hamas says.

 

"The deal will only be completed when our demands are met," a Hamas source told Ynet, characterizing media reports about a Shalit deal within days as a "joke."

 

"I understand the competition among media outlets, but we're not responsible for these reports," he said. "There are no draft agreements and there is no specific weekend where the deal is supposed to take place. There is no rule that requires the deal to take place during the holiday season. It will take place once the terms for it are in place, and this will happen when our demands are met."

 

Hamas has not given up its demand to see Israel open the Gaza Strip crossings on a regular basis, the source said. He added that while great efforts are being made in order to advance a prisoner swap, there is still a long way to go before such deal can be finalized.

 

"We demand that Israel adopt several moves in the framework of the deal, headed by the opening of the crossings on a permanent basis and the provision of all the types of equipment and food whose transfer to the Strip had been curbed," he said. "In addition, we demand an Israeli obligation to put an end to all acts of aggression and repeated attempts to enter Palestinian territory in the Strip."

 


פרסום ראשון: 09.12.09, 18:14
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