Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has warned that the terrorist group will abduct more Israelis to force Jerusalem to sign a prisoner exchange deal.
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"The Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades are holding four prisoners inside the Gaza Strip, and if Israel is not convinced to reach a deal, Hamas and the al-Qassam battalions will force them" by kidnapping others, official Hamas media outlets announced Sunday.
Hamas is to be holding two Israelis – Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed – captive, in addition to the remains of Israeli soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, killed during 2014's Operation Protective Edge.
Haniyeh said Hamas was capable of forcing Israel to sign a deal that includes the release of the six prisoners who escaped from Israel's Gilboa Prison in September before being recaptured, according to Israeli media.
In October, Al Jazeera reported Hamas had rejected outright Israel's arguments against freeing prisoners with blood on their hands. According to the report, Hamas had sent the Egyptians a list of demands and said that if met, an agreement could be signed immediately.
Unrelated to current efforts toward a prisoner exchange, Hamas has demanded the release of 48 of those freed as part of a deal to free Gilad Schalit, the former IDF soldier captured by Hamas and held in captivity in the Gaza Strip for more than five years.
Israel has conditioned the full rehabilitation of the coastal enclave on progress toward a prisoner-exchange deal, a demand Hamas has rejected outright.
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In a statement, representatives of a campaign to return the captive Israelis and the remains of the IDF soldiers, said: "For years, we have argued that Hamas is given everything it asks for and as a result, it is the one deterring us, the State of Israel, from acting and making Hamas understand that holding on to soldiers and civilians is a burden and not an asset, from halting the transfer of goods, stopping the crossing of works from Gaza into Israel, putting an end to the security prisoners' "summer camp" in the prisons, and stop freeing terrorists.
"From Operation Protective Edge and until today, 150 Hamas terrorists have been released from Israeli prison. Hamas prisoners should not see daylight, and they should be brought to a state where they cry out for [Hamas leader in Gaza] Yahya Sinwar to release the deceased soldiers and civilians it is holding captive."
Tensions are high after two rockets were fired from the terrorist enclave Saturday that landed into the ocean along Israel's coast. Israel responded with a number of strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza.
A source in the terrorist organizations said the rockets had been fired due to "weather conditions." However, various reports in Arab media outlets said that the rocket fire had been intentional and carried out by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Israel's armed forces released a subsequent statement disputing Hamas' explanation, arguing "Hamas is responsible and bears the consequences for all activity in and emanating from the Gaza Strip."
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
