Hamas denies holding talks about release of Israeli soldiers

Hamas yesterday denied Israeli claims that there are indirect talks about a new prisoner swap, Masralarabia.com reported.

“Hamas does not have any information about the news regarding a prisoner swap,” Hamas spokesman Salah Al-Bardaweel said.

Earlier yesterday, Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported a senior Israeli official saying that Hamas wanted a new prisoner swap, including the release of 50 prisoners arrested after the death of three Israeli Jewish settlers in 2014 as a condition to start talks.

“The Israeli public has already started a difficult discussion,” he said, noting that Israel is not planning to “pay a price in return for information about whether the Israelis are a live or not”, adding that Israel believes the soldiers are dead.

Two Israeli soldiers went missing during Israel’s 2014 offensive on the Gaza Strip. Israel believes they were captured by Hamas fighters during the war.