Sources for Al Mayadeen Net Present Hamas' Vision in the Prisoners Negotiations
Palestinian sources tell Al Mayadeen Net that the exchange deal will eventually take place, during which a large number of Palestinian prisoners will be released.
For the Palestinian resistance, the issue of prisoners is one of its most vital given what it represents in the Palestinian national conscience.
There are 5,000 Palestinian prisoners languishing in Israeli prisons today, part of whom were sentenced to multiple life sentences. Prisoners with similar sentences can only be released through an exchange deal between the resistance and the occupation, as occurred in previous times.
Years ago, the Palestinian resistance set two goals for every Palestinian fighter going into battle: The first being fighting, the second being trying to arrest Israeli soldiers with the aim of exchanging them for the largest possible number of Palestinian prisoners, especially those who were sentenced to life sentences.
Well-informed Palestinian sources told Al Mayadeen Net: "Hamas has had four Israeli soldiers since the penultimate battle in 2014" and has been working for a while to reach an agreement on a new deal. Its approach parallels the "Faithful to the Free" deal it conducted in 2011, which saw the release of captured soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for the liberation of 1,025 Palestinian prisoners.
The sources revealed that after the battle of Seif al-Quds in May, “Israel” tried to link the release of its soldiers to lifting the siege on Gaza and upcoming reconstruction initiatives. However, “the response of the resistance through the Egyptian mediator was rebuttal,” stressing their willingness to renew the confrontation if “Israel’s” conditions remain the same.
The source further added that as a result of a series of steps taken by the resistance, such as the resumption of night confusion, the use of incendiary balloons, and the assassination of the Israeli sniper on the Gaza Strip borders, the enemy complied and refrained from linking the reconstruction and lifting the siege to the release of its soldiers, and also agreed on the principle of the deal to complete the exchange.
According to the sources, Hamas' vision in the indirect negotiation process was presented to the Egyptian mediator, and is divided into two stages.
Stage one: Releasing Palestinian prisoners
The first stage consists of releasing “700 male and female prisoners in exchange for the two Israeli soldiers who are known to be alive. The Israelis agreed to 300 prisoners, before the Egyptian mediator suggested 500 prisoners as a compromise.”
It added, "The prisoners that are demanded to be released in accordance with the conditions of the resistance are the sick prisoners, women and children, the members of the Legislative Council, and the freed men who were re-arrested following the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange,” in addition to "a number of those sentenced to life imprisonment, including the Secretary-General of the Popular Front, Ahmad Sa’adat, and the Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti and al-Shobaki."
The Israeli authorities rendered the number of sick prisoners extremely low, while Hamas’ included a larger number. As for the elderly, according to the same sources, "the enemy proposed releasing those aged 65 years and over, while the resistance proposed categorizing the elderly as over 55 years old.”
As for those with long-term sentences, the occupation tried to exclude them from the deal by refusing to negotiate over their release. For its part, Hamas confirmed this clause as an essential part of the deal.
The sources added that "if the enemy agrees to the first stage in accordance with the resistance's conditions and demands, two soldiers will be released and the fate of the other two soldiers will be revealed, in order to start a new stage of negotiations."
Stage two: A new round of negotiations
The second stage accordinfg to the source: “Negotiations begin over a new deal which will be determined by the resistance after the completion of the first stage in all its aspects.”
The sources also pointed out that "the negotiations are ongoing so far, under the auspices of the Egyptian mediator, to reach a formula that satisfies both parties," noting "the enormous pressure exercised on the Israeli government by the families of the captured soldiers belonging to the resistance, in support of the completion of the deal."
However, the sources revealed that two factors lie behind the delay of the finalization of the deal, as follows:
First: The Israeli government's fear that paying a heavy price for the release of the soldiers might lead to the collapse of the already fragile government coalition.
Second: The Israeli security services seeking to find out additional information on the fate of the captured soldiers in order to leverage it in the ongoing negotiation process.
The sources disclosed to Al Mayadeen that they believe the exchange deal will eventually occur and will involve the release of a significant number of Palestinian prisoners. Moreover, the exchange will be added to the resistance’s growing record of achievements, last of which was the Seif al-Quds battle, according to the sources.