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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)
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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.

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Syrian Interior Ministry Arrests ISIS Cell Responsible for Church Attack

People gather at Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighborhood of Damascus following the suicide bombing on Sunday, June 22, 2025 (EPA) 
People gather at Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighborhood of Damascus following the suicide bombing on Sunday, June 22, 2025 (EPA) 
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Syrian Interior Ministry Arrests ISIS Cell Responsible for Church Attack

People gather at Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighborhood of Damascus following the suicide bombing on Sunday, June 22, 2025 (EPA) 
People gather at Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighborhood of Damascus following the suicide bombing on Sunday, June 22, 2025 (EPA) 

Hours after Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa vowed that those involved in a “heinous” suicide attack on a Damascus church a day earlier would face justice, Syria’s Interior Ministry said authorities had arrested several suspects in connection with the attack.

The shooting and suicide bombing Sunday at the Mar Elias church in the Dweila district of the Syrian capital killed 25 people and injured 63 others, according to the Health Ministry.

“In coordination with the General Intelligence Service, the Ministry carried out security operations against ISIS-linked terrorist cells in the Damascus countryside, arresting a cell leader and five members, and killing two others affiliated with the terrorist attack on Mar Elias Church in Damascus,” the Syrian Interior Ministry said in a statement on Monday.

“During the raid, quantities of weapons and ammunition were seized, in addition to explosive vests and mines. A motorcycle bomb that had been prepared for detonation was also found,” it said.

On Monday, the Syrian President expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the victims of the church bombing.

He said “this heinous crime that targeted innocent people in their worship places reminds us of the importance of solidarity and unity –government and people- in confronting threats to our security and the stability of our country.”

Sharaa added, “Today, we all stand united, rejecting injustice and crime in all its forms. We pledge to the victims that we will work day and night, mobilizing all our specialized security services, to apprehend all those who participated in and planned this heinous crime and bring them to justice to face their just punishment.”

The attack is the first such bombing in Damascus since the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime. It raised fear among the people.

Commenting on the attack, a man in his 70s described the attack as “a huge and horrible strike,” stressing the need for “the authorities to tighten security measures on churches, all places of worship, and busy places.”

On Monday, Asharq Al-Awsat spotted heavy deployment of local security agents in the capital’s neighborhoods and major roads, amid heightened security measures.

Adbdulrahman Alhaj, a researcher in Islamic studies, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Interior Ministry statement that linked the attack to an ISIS suicide attack is a suggestion that the ministry’s spokesman Noureddine Al-Baba had mentioned in his Sunday press briefing.

Alhaj said he supports the ministry’s conclusions as ISIS had recently issued several threats signaling plans to confront the new regime in Damascus particularly, al-Sharaa.