Expressing expectations for “Israel-Hamas civilian prisoner exchange”
Amid the Middle East conflict surrounding the Gaza Strip, Iran’s diplomatic chief, who visited Qatar, announced that political discussions are taking place for a temporary ceasefire.
According to Iran’s state-run Press TV, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said this to reporters before returning to Tehran after completing a visit to Qatar and Turkiye (formerly Turkey) on the 1st (local time).
Minister Amir Abdollahian said, “During the dialogue with Qatar, there was an idea for a ceasefire to enable humanitarian aid to Gaza.” Qatar is playing a mediating role in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
“In a cease-fire situation, we could see the exchange of civilian prisoners between both sides (Israel and Hamas), including all female Palestinian prisoners,” Amir Abdollahian predicted.
Hamas took a number of hostages to the Gaza Strip during the ‘Al-Aqsa Flood’ raid on October 7, and there are many analyzes that it was intended to use this as leverage to release Palestinian prisoners in Israel.
In this regard, Hamas kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit near the Israeli border in 2006. Shalit later returned to Korea in 2011 in exchange for about 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israel.
During this trip, Minister Amir Abdollahian is said to have met with executives from the Hamas political bureau in Doha, Qatar. At this event, it was also said that an Israeli airstrike killed about 50 hostages who had previously been safe.
The number of Hamas hostages identified by Israeli authorities is known to be around 240. At the beginning of the war, Hamas threatened to execute hostages whenever Israel attacked civilian facilities, but later released four hostages on two occasions.
Meanwhile, as Israel’s airstrikes and ground operations to eradicate Hamas continue in the Gaza Strip, civilian casualties are increasing. Accordingly, voices calling for a ceasefire are growing in the international community, but Israel is not giving up its hard-line stance that there will be no ceasefire.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.