A senior Hamas chief indicated the group’s intention to make use of Israeli captives as potential leverage to safe the discharge of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
Khaled Meshaal, the Hamas official, stated on Monday that the group possesses the mandatory means to attain the liberty of all Palestinians at the moment incarcerated in Israeli prisons.
The backdrop to this revelation is a latest incident the place Hamas militants launched an assault on southern Israeli communities and army bases, leading to a tragic toll of over 1,300 casualties. The militants took scores of hostages throughout this operation.
The Israeli army has reported that Hamas at the moment holds 199 hostages in Gaza, though Hamas contends that the quantity is someplace between 200 and 250. These hostages embrace each Israelis and non-Israelis. Of observe, the non-Israeli captives have been known as “visitors” by Hamas’s armed wing, with plans to launch them when circumstances allow.
Hamas has a longstanding demand for the discharge of roughly 6,000 Palestinians who’re held in Israeli prisons. Meshaal’s latest assertion in regards to the potential use of Israeli hostages as bargaining chips raises considerations about their security and well-being.
This method mirrors a earlier incident in 2011 when Israel carried out an trade, releasing a whole lot of Palestinian prisoners in return for one Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, who had been held captive for 5 years.
The Israeli authorities, whereas dedicated to securing the discharge of the hostages, has launched army strikes on Gaza as a part of its efforts to neutralise Hamas. This advanced state of affairs complicates any potential negotiations.
The worldwide neighborhood is intently monitoring this example, with a concentrate on the well-being of the hostages and the prospects for negotiations to safe their launch.