Hamas agrees to free all Israeli captives for ‘serious prisoner swap’

A senior Hamas official has said on Monday that the group is willing to free all the Israeli captives in return for what he described as a “serious prisoner swap” and a guaranteed end to the war.

 “We are ready to release all Israeli captives in exchange for a serious prisoner swap deal, an end to the war, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and the entry of humanitarian aid,” Taher al-Nunu, a senior Hamas official, was quoted as saying to AFP.

Hamas is currently engaged in talks in Cairo with Egyptian and Qatari mediators, and said it is dealing with the negotiations in a “positive and responsible” way.

Al-Nunu, however, blamed Israel for hindering the progress towards the truce.

“The issue is not the number of captives, but rather that the occupation is reneging on its commitments, blocking the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and continuing the war,” he said.

“Hamas has therefore stressed the need for guarantees to compel the occupation (Israel) to uphold the agreement,” he added.

Earlier, sources have told the Saudi news channel al-Arabiya that the US would put pressure on Israel to agree on a new proposal to the ceasefire.

Under the deal, Hamas would release 10 living captives in exchange for US guarantees that Israel would enter negotiations for a second phase of the ceasefire.

Last month, Israel broke a ceasefire which took effect on 19 January and included multiple exchanges for Israeli captives and Palestinian prisoners. Israel then resumed its military operation in Gaza, relentlessly bombing the entire enclave.