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Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, there have been countless individuals held hostage. And unfortunately, talks to release these hostages have gone absolutely nowhere, keeping both sides at the standstill while people’s lives hang in the balance.
A senior Hamas official has denied rumors of ongoing negotiations for partial release and demanded a “complete exchange” of prisoners in Israeli jails.
Osama Hamdan, the group’s Lebanon-based official, called for free movement of people within Gaza tasked with collecting information about hostages and guaranteed safety of those holding them.
Live update: Hamas official appears to rule out partial prisoner exchange https://t.co/GUjkinqDji . Click to read ⬇️
— TOI ALERTS (@TOIAlerts) November 13, 2023
Hamdan noted in his speech that negotiations concerning hostages with foreign passports are being obstructed by Israel. He added that any proposed deal would have to ensure the safety of the captors as well as guarantee freedom of movement inside Gaza for those gathering intelligence on hostage locations.
The senior Hamas official made it clear during his address that their position on prisoner rights has been consistent from the start – a full exchange is what is required. Hamdan urged progress towards this goal and emphasized the importance of protecting both those taken captive and those detaining them.
Israel has been refusing to negotiate with Hamas over these demands as they believe it will only encourage more hostage taking and strengthen the terror group’s control over Gaza.
The main sticking point is that Hamas wants all prisoners released at once instead of in stages. It is argued this could lead to further violence against both sides if any prisoner swap goes through.
There have been calls for international intervention to help facilitate negotiations between Hamas and Israel but so far no progress has been made due to political differences between the two sides and general mistrust from both sides towards one another.
This is a developing story.
