Hamas official Hassan Yussef, one of the movement’s leaders in the West Bank, tells Israel Radio that his movement will not even begin to talk about the release of two Israelis held captive in Gaza until Israel releases prisoners re-arrested after being freed in the 2011 exchange for Gilad Shalit.
According to the report, there are some 60 Palestinians from the 1,027 released by Israel in the deal currently being held. Many of them were rounded up last year during a crackdown on Hamas in the West Bank following the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teens.
Yussef himself was recently released from Israeli prison
Hamas has so far been coy about whether it is holding the two. According to an Israeli official, the group has been insistent that it released Avraham Mengistu, who left in the direction of Sinai, but Israel believes this to be a lie.
A Hamas spokesperson earlier said he had no information about the captives.
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