By Xinhua,
Gaza : A Hamas leader on Wednesday said there will be no talks on freeing a captive Israeli soldier unless Israel abides by an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
“Hamas will not open the file of prisoner swap until the occupation literally commits itself with what was agreed upon in the lull deal,” said Osama al-Muzini, a Hamas official who follows up the case of the captive soldier Gilad Shalit.
The six-month ceasefire, which took effect in the Hamas-controlled Gaza on June 19, calls for stopping cross-border violence and easing the sanctions which Israel imposed last year to isolate Hamas.
Despite the relative calm, Hamas accuses Israel of not opening the crossing points into Gaza in accordance with the way the ceasefire stipulated. The siege was imposed when Hamas took over Gaza Strip last year.
“As the occupation is not committed in the ceasefire, this means that the deals with it will be useless and we got an impression that they will not abide by any new deal,” al-Muzini added. “This doesn’t encourage Hamas to hold a prisoner exchange deal.”
Hamas and two aligned groups kidnapped Shalit in a cross-border raid near Gaza Strip on June 25, 2006. Since then, he has been held in Gaza as Hamas demands to free him in exchange for 1,000 Palestinian prisoners and all jailed children patients and the old.