A Hamas official on Tuesday denied receiving new Israeli offer to release Palestinian prisoners in exchange for a captive Israeli soldier the Islamic movement holds.
"The reports that Israel softened its stance regarding the prisoner exchange were trial balloons," said Osama al-Muzni, the Hamas official entitled to speak about the stalled process.
Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reported earlier on Tuesday that the Jewish state agreed to release 220 prisoners out of 350 Palestinians that Hamas insists to be freed in exchange for Gilad Shalit, a Corporal Hamas captured in 2006 near the Gaza Strip.
By this proposal, Israel has lifted the ban on additional 70 Palestinians, according to the newspaper which also said the gap between the two sides still wide.
The newspaper said the new offer was passed to Hamas by mediators, without disclosing their identities.
Egypt used to mediate between Hamas and Israel. However, the Israeli refusal to accept all the names that Hamas demands their freedom and Hamas' insistence on the lists it present have left the talks without progress in the past months.
"By these reports, the enemy tries to show that the inflexibility is involving the resistance factions," al-Muzini said, adding Hamas will not give up any of its demands.
Hamas wants Israel to free the 350 prisoners in the first phase of the swap once Shalit is handed out to a third-party mediator. Together, the three phases of the swap include the release of more than 1,000 prisoners.
Source: Xinhua
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article