Hamas said to demand mass prisoner release for held Israelis

Hamas is hoping to win the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel in exchange for the return of the remains of two IDF soldiers it holds and two Israeli citizens believed to be captive in the Gaza Strip, according to a report out today.

The report, in the daily Yedioth Ahronoth, says that while Israel has been seeking, through foreign intermediaries, to initiate negotiations for the return of the soldiers’ bodies and the civilians, it has resisted Hamas demands for concessions as a prerequisite for talks. Nor, the report says, will Israel agree to a exchange similar to the 2011 swap of over 1,000 Palestinians for captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.

“Hamas wants a Shalit 2 deal, with the release of hundreds of prisoners,” a senior, unidentified Israeli official is quoted as saying.

The issue of the missing Israelis has come to the forefront of political debate in the wake of a reconciliation deal last week between Israel and Turkey that ended a years-long diplomatic rift.

— Stuart Winer