Gilad Shalit. 1,259 days in captivity
Photo: Reuters
Report: Hamas to relinquish Israeli-Arab prisoners
Al-Quds Al-Arabi reports Hamas will not demand 20 Israeli-Arabs terrorists in swap for Gilad Shalit
The London-based al-Quds al-Arabi reported Saturday that Hamas is leaning towards accepting an Israeli demand to remove Israeli-Arabs from the list of prisoners it wants in exchange for kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit.
Op-Ed
Ronen Bergman
Gilad Shalit's release through prisoner swap with Hamas not a done deal yet
The report quotes "knowledgeable sources" that claim Arabs detained in Israeli prisons are dissatisfied with information which has already reached them, saying that Hamas will not demand their release in the deal to be signed "very soon".
It adds that there are altogether 20 such prisoners on Hamas' original list. A senior Hamas official, Mohammad Nasser, refused to comment on the report but said that "in the case that the deal fails, the occupation (Israel) will be held responsible".
On Friday reports from the Arab world were less optimistic on the emerging prisoner swap. The London-based Al-Hayat and Saudi-based Al-Watan reported that Hamas had rejected a proposal brought forth by the German mediator in the deal, and that Israel had refused to release key prisoners such as Marwan Barghouti and Ahmed Saadat.
The High Court of Justice determined Thursday that details of the deal would remain confidential, in accordance with a decision made by the IDF censor.
The order came in response to an appeal by bereaved families and victims of terror, who demanded that the list of prisoners up for release be published in order to allow for time to object to various names on the list.
