Hamas Will Not Release 4 Israeli Prisoners without Swap Deal

Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh. (AFP)
Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh. (AFP)
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Hamas Will Not Release 4 Israeli Prisoners without Swap Deal

Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh. (AFP)
Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh. (AFP)

Hamas will not release four Israeli soldiers captured in the Gaza Strip without a deal to release Palestinian political prisoners held by Israel, announced the movement's politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh.

Speaking at the 12th Pioneers of Jerusalem Conference in Istanbul, Haniyeh reaffirmed that the issue of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails is a top priority for the movement.

Haniyeh's statement confirms that Hamas is proceeding with a separate exchange deal.

Hamas informed Egypt, which is mediating the talks, that it is ready for an exchange deal, whether comprehensive or over two stages. Hamas has requested the release of more than 100 prisoners.

The movement proposed a two-stage deal. The first includes the release of two Israeli civilian prisoners, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, and information about soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners.

The second stage negotiates the release of 800 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Israeli soldiers. Tel Aviv did not respond to that.

There are four Israelis held by Hamas in Gaza, including Shaul and Goldin, who were captured by the movement in the war that broke out in the summer of 2014. Israel believes they are dead. However, Hamas does not provide any information about their fate.

Hamas is also detaining Mengistu, an Israeli of Ethiopian descent, and Sayyid, of Arab descent. Both crossed Gaza borders at two different times after the war.

There are about 4,500 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.

Israel refuses to release prisoners with "blood on their hands," a top priority for Hamas, known as the VIP list.

Israeli sources said Prime Minister Naftali Bennett fears his coalition will collapse if he takes a step that includes the release of senior prisoners.



Olmert: ‘Humanitarian City’ in Rafah Would Be Concentration Camp for Palestinians

Former Israel's prime minister Ehud Olmert looks on during an interview with AFP (Agence France-Presse) in Paris on June 9, 2025. (Photo by STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP)
Former Israel's prime minister Ehud Olmert looks on during an interview with AFP (Agence France-Presse) in Paris on June 9, 2025. (Photo by STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP)
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Olmert: ‘Humanitarian City’ in Rafah Would Be Concentration Camp for Palestinians

Former Israel's prime minister Ehud Olmert looks on during an interview with AFP (Agence France-Presse) in Paris on June 9, 2025. (Photo by STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP)
Former Israel's prime minister Ehud Olmert looks on during an interview with AFP (Agence France-Presse) in Paris on June 9, 2025. (Photo by STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP)

Israel’s former prime minister Ehud Olmert said that the “humanitarian city” that Israel’s defense minister has proposed building on the ruins of Rafah would be a concentration camp, and forcing Palestinians inside would be ethnic cleansing, the Guardian reported on Sunday.

Israel was already committing war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank, Olmert told the daily, and construction of the camp would mark an escalation.

Israeli Minister of Defense, Israel Katz, has ordered the military to start drawing up operational plans for construction of the “humanitarian city” on the ruins of southern Gaza, to house initially 600,000 people and eventually the entire Palestinian population, stated the Guardian.

“It is a concentration camp. I am sorry,” Olmert told he daily, when asked about the plans laid out by Katz last week. Once inside, Palestinians would not be allowed to leave, except to go to other countries, Katz said.

The “humanitarian city” project is backed by Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Israel’s refusal to withdraw from the area Katz envisages for the camp is a sticking point in the faltering negotiations for a ceasefire deal, Israeli media have reported.