By Xinhua,
Gaza : A Hamas leader on Tuesday said his movement will not lower its demands regarding a prisoner exchange with Israel.
“Hamas will not step back a handbreadth from the demands that we agreed upon with the Israelis more than a year ago,” said Moussa Abu Marzouq, deputy chief of Hamas politburo.
Since Hamas captured Israeli Corporal Gilad Shalit in 2006, Egypt has mediated between the Islamic movement and Israel to release Shalit in exchange for a number of Palestinian prisoners.
“Any Israeli attempt to bypass these demands will be waste of time and the Israeli government will have to shoulder the outcomes,” Abu Marzouq stressed.
Hamas demands Israel to free 1,000 prisoners in addition to all imprisoned women, children, old and patients. The talks has made a progress but the difference remained focused on a group of prisoners who Israel says “their hands were stained with Israeli blood.”
However, the talks were stopped for more than a year due to theunexpected violent takeover of the Gaza Strip by Hamas’ forces and the subsequent Israeli sanctions on the coastal strip.