Israel and Hamas have reached a milestone in a possible prisoner exchange, Arab media reported on Monday.
According to the Kuwaiti paper Al-Qabas, the two sides have broken the impasse in the negotiations aimed at repatriating the bodies of Israeli soldiers killed during the 2014 Gaza war and two missing Israelis who crossed into the Gaza strip.
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Under the reported plan, the agreement would include the release of Palestinian prisoners who were released in 2011, as part of a prisoner swap to return abducted soldier Gilad Schalit, but were later recaptured because they had engaged in terrorist activity, and because Israel wanted new bargaining chips to help secure another deal.
Switzerland and Germany are reportedly mediating between the two sides.
The Gaza-based Hamas terrorist organization is holding the remains of two Israeli soldiers, Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul and Lt. Hadar Goldin, killed in the Gaza Strip in 2014. Ethiopian Israeli Avera Mengistu and Bedouin Israeli Hisham al-Sayed, both suffering from mental health issues, crossed into Gaza in 2014 and 2015. It is unclear if the talks are aimed at returning all four Israelis.
Meanwhile, Hamas said on Monday that it was not going to engage in talks over a long-term truce with Israel
"We reject the very premise of holding such talks," the group said. "The siege and the sanctions are still in place, and Israel has not lived up to the agreement struck through Egyptian mediation."
