During their recent trip to Cairo, Egypt, a delegation from Hamas reportedly discussed the possibility of exchanging Palestinian prisoners for Israeli soldiers held captive. The head of Hamas’ political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, arrived in Egypt and met with the head of the country’s General Intelligence Service, Abbas Kamel, to discuss the current situation in the Gaza Strip.
According to Al Arabiya, the Hamas delegation also discussed with Abbas Kamel the possibility of a deal in which Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons would be exchanged for Israeli soldiers and officers held in the Gaza Strip.
Earlier reports indicated that Egypt has been actively engaged in negotiations to achieve a humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, with the aim of facilitating prisoner exchanges. It was also mentioned that Qatar is providing support for the negotiations, with the goal of securing the release of 10 to 15 hostages from the Gaza Strip in exchange for a one to two-day humanitarian pause.
Previously, Hamas representative in Lebanon, Osama Hamdan, stated in an interview with the Spanish newspaper Mundo that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had blocked a last-minute agreement to release dual-citizenship prisoners held in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas has previously accused the West of creating an “impenetrable wall” between themselves and the Arab world.
