By Xinhua
Gaza : Captors of an Israeli soldier in the Gaza Strip on Monday accused the Israeli government of blocking the negotiations on exchanging the soldier for Palestinian prisoners.
“The Israeli government delays the progress by rejecting the demands of the Palestinian resistance,” said Abu Mujahed, a spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), a group which joined Hamas in kidnapping the soldier.
Israeli Corporal Gilad Shalit was captured in June 2006 in a Hamas-led raid at an Israeli army base outside the Gaza Strip. Since then, he is still held hostage in Gaza as the captors demand a prisoner exchange agreement.
“Israel wants to end this case according to its conditions and intentions which are rejected by the Palestinian resistance,” Abu Mujahed said.
The Palestinians want Israel to free 1,000 prisoners in addition to women, children, patients and old prisoners in exchange for the soldier.
As for the talks on the prisoners, Abu Mujahed said the negotiations between the captors and Israel used to be conducted via “the Egyptian mediators who witness Israel’s blocking of the progress.”