Palestinian Group Hamas declared its readiness to release all Israeli civilian prisoners it holds, with the exception of military personnel who require special negotiations.
Mousa Abu Marzouk, a member of the political bureau of Hamas, stated in an interview with the Russian news agency Novosti that the release of Israeli military prisoners necessitates separate negotiations leading to a prisoner exchange between the Palestinian and Israeli sides.
“Our position is clear. We do not mix up the prisoners, and we divide them into two categories. The first category consists of innocent civilians who will be released since they are not at fault. They were captured due to the chaos that followed the Israeli defeat and their intelligence failure. We will release them when the circumstances are appropriate. As for the second category, these are the military personnel whose release requires special negotiations and prisoner exchange operations,” said Abu Marzouk.
Abu Marzouk pointed out that Palestinian factions, particularly Hamas, have captured hundreds of Israeli military personnel. The war on Gaza is currently in its 22nd day since the start of Operation “Al-Aqsa Flood” on October 7, with Israel continuing its bombardment of the region by land, sea, and air, resulting in thousands of casualties and injuries on the Palestinian side.
The toll of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza has reached 7,700 dead and 20,000 injured, in addition to around 2,000 people still missing under the rubble. In the West Bank, 111 have been killed, and over 1,900 injured.
On the Israeli side, more than 1,400 people, including 310 military personnel, have been killed, while Hamas has captured over 229 Israelis.
