Hamas on Wednesday warned that Gilad Schalit will not be the last soldier that it will kidnap. Abu
Obaida, spokesman for the armed wing of Hamas, Izzadin Kassam said that Schalit, who is set to be released as part of a
prisoner exchange deal, "will not be the last solider kidnapped by Hamas as long as Israel keeps Palestinian prisoners detained."
The
senior official added that his forces were committed to all the
prisoners that remain in Israeli prisons after the prisoner swap deal,
and their release will be the organization's top priority.
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Background: In book, PM warned not to release terroristsHamas
leader Khaled Mashaal, accompanied by a delegation, arrived in Cairo on Wednesday to finalize the prisoner exchange deal, DPA reported.
Tuesday night called the deal to exchange
Schalit for over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners a “great achievement.” “We
are
happy with this great achievement and we thank our God for that. But our
happiness is mixed with sorrow because we were not able to gain the
freedom of
all prisoners,” Meshaal said from Damascus, speaking in a televised
speech.
Hamas presented the prisoner exchange agreement as a “historic
victory,” saying Israel has accepted all the demands of the captors.
Abu
Obaida said the
agreement includes prisoners from east Jerusalem, Israeli Arabs and all the
women and minors among the security prisoners.
He also pointed out that
two-thirds of the prisoners who would be released in return for Gilad Schalit
are serving lengthy terms in prison.
“This is an historic deal,” Abu
Obaida boasted. “Hamas will remain faithful to the cause of the prisoners and
will continue to work toward securing the release of all of them.”
