Labor MK claims progress in prisoner swap talks with Hamas

Labor MK Emilie Moatti on Saturday claimed progress has been made toward a deal with Hamas that would see the return of two Israeli civilians and the remains of two IDF soldiers being held by the Gaza-ruling terror group.

“There is progress on the issue of the prisoners and missing persons. It is sensitive and confidential and there are moves that I will not detail, but I am optimistic that they will be home soon,” Moatti, a member of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, said during an event in Petah Tikva.

“It is based on a review we received 3 weeks ago that I will not detail,” she added.

However, security officials involved in the matter denied any progress has been made, according to Hebrew-language media reports.

Israeli officials have generally refrained from commenting on the status of talks, which are being brokered by Egypt.

Two Israeli civilians and the bodies of two Israel Defense Forces soldiers are currently being held in Gaza. Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed entered the Strip of their own accord, and their families say they suffer from mental illness. Hamas is also holding the remains of Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, who were killed in the Strip during the 2014 Gaza war.

Shaul’s brother, Aviram, responded to Moatti’s remarks on Twitter, saying he hoped the current government was not “throwing sand in the eyes of families and the public” as it “continues the same policy of the Bibi government and is not working to get the prisoners back,” referring to former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Oh, and another important thing, if you asked yourself if the family was updated on this review, so no,” he added.

The families have previously criticized the government for the lack of progress or updates.

Hamas has so far insisted on separating prisoner negotiations from any discussions related to a potential long-term truce or the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, following an 11-day military conflict last May.

Israel, meanwhile, has linked a prisoner swap to further negotiations on a broader agreement. It insisted following fighting in May that it would not allow material or money to enter the Strip until a deal is reached, but seemingly softened those demands in September, allowing in Qatari cash and some materials.

Gaza has been tightly blockaded by both Israel and Egypt for a decade and a half; both countries say allowing freer movement of goods and people could strengthen Hamas and allow it to rebuild terror infrastructure.

A November report claimed Israel and Hamas were nearing an agreement which would include Palestinians handing over a recording testifying to the condition of two Israeli captives alongside the repatriation of the remains of the two soldiers.

That deal is expected to include the release of some number of Palestinian prisoners, in the mold of past swaps. Hamas is thought to be seeking high-value security prisoners, in prison for serious terror attacks, whose release Israel would be less likely to agree to.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.