Hamas: No ‘real response’ from Israel on prisoner swap

Although Egypt and Russia have expressed willingness to help reach a prisoner exchange agreement, Hamas has still not received a “serious response” from Israel, a senior Hamas source said on Saturday.

The source told the Palestinian daily Al-Quds that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was engaged in “media equivocation” and has not actually moved towards reaching a prisoner exchange agreement with Hamas.

“We have not received from any mediator or party, including the Egyptians or the Russians or others, any Israeli response, except for what appeared in the media,” the source said. “Hamas repeats its readiness to proceed with this issue in order to save the lives of the [Palestinian] prisoners, especially the sick, the women and the elderly.”

Hamas, the source added, is “fully serious about taking advantage of this opportunity to complete an exchange deal that would include the largest number of prisoners, first and foremost the leaders of the Palestinian resistance who are serving life-term sentences.”

The source warned that Hamas’s military wing, Izaddin al-Qassam, has “powerful cards” that would surprise Israel. “The ball is now in the occupation’s court, and Hamas welcomes any mediation to complete a deal,” the source said, emphasizing Egypt’s “historic role” in reaching prisoner exchange agreements between the two sides.

According to the source, the Egyptians initially moved towards reaching a deal after Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar indicated last week his desire to reach a prisoner swap with Israel in light of the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. “Until now, however, there is no real response from Israel,” the source claimed.