Abu Marzouk: Many parties stepped in to mediate prisoner swap talks

Member of Hamas’s political bureau Mousa Abu Marzouk said that several parties started to intervene to launch new prisoner swap talks with his Movement to release Israeli soldiers captured in the Gaza Strip.

In an interview with Maan satellite channel on Monday night, Abu Marzouk added that it is too early to talk about any prisoner swap deal with Israel, stressing that Israel, first, must respect its obligations under the ceasefire agreement it had signed in August.

“Hamas will not talk about anything related to Israeli soldiers before Israel implements what has been agreed upon in the truce agreement sealed on last August 26 in Cairo.”

In a separate context, Abu Marzouk said the reconciliation with Fatah faction was stalled by Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas and needs a political decision from him to proceed with it.

During the last Israeli war on Gaza, al-Qassam Brigades of Hamas had claimed its capture of an Israeli soldier identified as Shaul Aron during an army incursion into an area to the east of Gaza city.

Two days later, the Israeli army admitted it had lost contact with the soldier Aron and said he might have been killed during armed confrontations with Hamas fighters.

Hamas was also accused by Israel of seizing the body of a senior officer called Hadar Goldin, who was killed in eastern Rafah. However, the Israeli claim has not been confirmed or denied by the Movement.