A Hamas official says the German mediator seeking to clinch a prisoner swap between the militant group and Israel has entered Gaza.
The official said on Wednesday that the mediator was delivering Israel’s latest offer in a proposed deal to trade some 1,000 Palestinian prisoners for one Israeli soldier.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak to the media.
He said Gaza’s Hamas rulers will consider the offer and forward it to the group’s Syria-based leadership before the announcing a position.
“The German mediator will meet a Hamas delegation in Gaza today to discuss the Shalit affair,” the official told AFP, asking not to be named.
The German was expected to present Israel’s latest offer for the proposed prisoner swap.
The mediator has led indirect negotiations for the release of the 23-year-old soldier who was captured by Hamas and other gunmen in a deadly cross-border raid from the Gaza Strip in 2006.
Hamas blamed Israel on Tuesday for stalling efforts to swap hundreds of Palestinian prisoners for Shalit after the Jewish state reportedly expressed reservations over the Islamists’ latest offer.
No comments:
Post a Comment