Hamas threatens more kidnappings if prisoner deal not reached with Israel
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has threatened to kidnap more Israelis if a prisoner deal is not reached.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh attends a groundbreaking ceremony for the Rafah Medical Complex in the southern Gaza Strip on Nov. 23, 2019. Photo by Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90
“A prisoner-exchange deal has a known price. Israel knows that. Either we will come to a respectable deal, or we will go to the other option, which is increasing our loot. Our arm is long,” Haniyeh said according to a Ynet report.
Despite recent reports about the possibility of such an arrangement between Israel and Hamas, the reality is that there is no single, strong Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip who is free to make such decisions, wrote Pinhas Inbari, a veteran Arab-affairs correspondent and analyst for the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.
Reports about a pending prisoner-exchange deal between Israel and Hamas are gaining momentum.
According to Palestinian sources in Ramallah, however, major obstacles remain in the way, particularly within Hamas, said Inbari.
JNS
