The recent cease-fire understandings in the Gaza Strip could lead to a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas for the bodies of IDF soldiers Lt. Hadar Goldin and Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul and information on two Israeli civilians being held in Gaza.
The United Arab Emirates-based Al-Khaleej news website reported over the weekend that significant progress has been made between Israel and Hamas on a prisoner exchange deal. According to the report, which is based on senior Egyptian diplomatic sources, a German diplomat who visited Israel and Gaza recently and met with leaders on both sides has secretly been mediating between the sides.
It was also reported that Israel has told the German mediator it is willing to accept Hamas' condition for the release of dozens of Hamas terrorists who, after they were released in the Gilad Schalit prisoner swap in 2011, returned to terrorist activities and were subsequently reincarcerated.
The Egyptian sources were quoted as saying that an Israeli delegation of senior security officials is expected to visit Cairo soon to finalize the deal, and that if there are no objections in Israel over releasing some of the prisoners Hamas has demanded, then the "prisoner exchange could happen quite soon."
In Israel, officials stressed there is no agreement to re-release Hamas terrorists from the Schalit deal. A senior Israeli official said the Al-Khaleej report was incorrect.
Also Friday, Hamas military leader Yahya Sinwar spoke at a memorial service for members of the group's military wing who were killed in a gunfight with Israeli commandos last Sunday.
During his speech, Sinwar brandished a pistol he claimed was taken as a bounty from the incident.
"The people of Gaza kicked [recently resigned Defense Minister Avigdor] Lieberman," he boasted. "I spoke with the commander of the military wing, Muhammad Deif, about an attack on Tel Aviv – but he said the attack should speak for itself. My message to [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and his next war minister – Gaza is a death trap. Those who said we sold the blood of shahids [martyrs] for dollars and fuel will be disappointed yet."
In Lebanon, deputy Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said, "Lieberman's resignation is the best proof of the success of the resistance in Gaza."
