Syrian-Israeli prisoners’ swap leads to similar deal with Hamas
RAMALLAH, Palestine (North Press) – On Sunday, political sources from Palestine said, the Syrian-Israeli prisoners’ swap deal opened the door for a serious move to achieve a similar deal between Israel and Hamas.
On Saturday, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu refused to elaborate the secret article regarding the deal to restore the Israeli woman from Syria under Russian auspices, at the request of Moscow.
Two weeks ago, the Israeli woman crossed the border and entered Syria near Quneitra governorate.
Israeli media reported, the secret article regarding the deal to get the girl back, is that Israel will buy about 100,000 Russian coronavirus vaccines for the Syrian government, the matter denied by pro-Syrian government media.
The matter was also met with official Israeli silence, while Netanyahu said, he did not “sent any Israeli vaccine to Syria.”
Similar to the Russian mediation on the swap deal between Syria and Israel, political sources indicated that meetings would be held under Egyptian auspices between Israel and Hamas regarding the swap deal.
Informed sources said, Israel asked Egypt to intervene to finalize the swap deal, and demanded Hamas to facilitate the issues of the port and fishing.
Last year, Israel and Hamas tried to reach a swap deal at the initiative of Yahya al-Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, but the efforts reached a dead end.
At the end of the negotiations, Israel offered a swap deal in exchange for an increase in Israeli medical aid to Gaza Strip to confront coronavirus, and the release of prisoners, whose hands were not bloodied.
However, Said Hasanein, an Israeli affairs analyst, told North Press that the negotiations on the prisoners’ swap deal between Israel and Hamas, sponsored by Egypt, is just a media move to conclude a deal of such kind.
He believes that Netanyahu wants to show himself before the elections as “doing his best to take back the Israelis held by Hamas.”
Reporting by Ahmad Ismail