At celebratory rally, Hamas demands release of prisoners before talks on soldiers

A senior Hamas leader said on Monday that the terror group would not offer any information about two IDF soldiers whose remains it is believed to be holding unless Israeli first releases numerous Hamas prisoners.

The statements were made by Hamas co-founder Mahmoud al-Zahar at a large public rally held in Gaza City marking the organization’s 28th anniversary. “We will not talk about a new prisoner exchange deal before the release of prisoners freed in Shalit’s deal,” Zahar said.

In recent days Hamas has tried to create ambiguity over the current status of Israeli soldiers Staff Sergeant Oron Shaul and First Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, deemed by Israel to have been killed in action during the summer 2014 Operation Protective Edge, in an apparent effort to create false hope among the bereaved relatives as leverage to get its men out of Israeli jails.

One ploy used by the group this week involved delivering to the Shaul family a letter Hamas claimed to have been penned by Oron, begging for his release. “I want to be freed from captivity, and though I don’t deny I have been treated gently, I fear you have forgotten me, which fills my heart with much sadness and despair,” part of the letter reads.

Shaul’s mother on Sunday demanded that Hamas back up its claims that her son is alive with proof.

Monday’s Hamas rally, which was held under the banner “Jerusalem — within stone’s range” and broadcast live by several Palestinian satellite TV stations, came amid a media campaign Monday to mark the 28th anniversary of the terror group’s founding. As part of this, senior Hamas figures gave interviews which were posted on the organization’s newly revamped website.

Zahar began his speech by praising the Palestinian “heroes” who carried out attacks against Israelis during the recent wave of terrorism and went on to make short statements criticizing Egypt and vowing to secure the release of prisoners in Israeli jails.

In the summer of 2014, as it searched for the kidnapper-killers of three Israeli teens, Israel rearrested numerous Hamas terrorists who had been freed in a 2011 deal that secured the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Hamas has since been agitating for the release of these prisoners.

Since former general Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi came to power in Egypt, ousting Islamist president Mohammed Morsi, he has embarked on an aggressive campaign against the Gaza-based terror group. This has included the virtual sealing of the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza, the destruction of cross-border smuggling tunnels and the arrest of members of Hamas affiliates.

Zahar directly addressed Cairo’s detaining of four Hamas operatives back in August, saying “the four kidnapped youths are the responsibility of Egypt.” The four, who were part of Hamas’s naval commando unit, crossed into Egypt via Rafah and were arrested on route to Cairo airport from where they were believed to be intending to head to Iran for training.

Coinciding with the rally, Hamas, a terror group which seeks the destruction of Israel and seized control of Gaza from the Paletinian Authority in 2007, released a statement on its website stressing that “Jerusalem is the heart of the [Israeli-Palestinian] conflict.” It went on to praise the “Jerusalem Intifada” and those who have died “defending” Jerusalem, vowing never to relinquish “even an inch” of the city.

In other videos on its site, Hamas leaders including Khaled Mashaal, Rawhi Mushtaha, and Zahar expressed hope for the future victory of the Palestinians over Israel.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report