[Gaza City] Dozens of Gazans gathered on Monday at a major political rally held by the international and Islamic forces to mark the 10th anniversary of the so-called Wafa al-Ahrar (“faithful to the free”) prisoner exchange deal that saw Israel release more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Hamas releasing the abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
The anniversary this year was marked by massive public gatherings throughout the Gaza Strip demonstrating solidarity with Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and protesting Israeli measures against them.
Qadoura Fares, head of the Palestinian Prisoners Club, announced on Wednesday that 250 Islamic Jihad detainees in Israel’s prisons had begun an open-ended hunger strike in protest against the “atrocious measures” against them, noting that 100 of them would also begin refusing water after a week.
A day after the announcement, Islamic Jihad declared a state of general alert among its fighters.
We will stand with them and support them with everything we have, even if that requires going to war
“The [Islamic] Jihad movement will not leave its sons in the Zionist prisons alone,” Islamic Jihad Secretary-General Ziyad al-Nakhalah said on Wednesday, warning that “we will stand with them and support them with everything we have, even if that requires going to war.”
Given the highly tense situation, the chances of reaching another prisoner swap deal between Israel and Hamas may be small. However, this is not the main obstacle along the path, political analyst Hassan Abdo believes.
Historically, no prisoners have been released over the years of conflict [between Israelis and Palestinians] without an exchange deal and without intensive efforts by brokers
“The real obstacle lies in the unwillingness of the Israeli dominant right [wing] to pay any price,” he told The Media Line.
He explained, “Israel tried to link the prisoner exchange deal file to the reconstruction of Gaza, which is definitely unacceptable for the resistance [groups] in Gaza who have the leverage of the four Israeli captives.”
Hamas holds two mentally disabled Israeli civilians, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, who entered the Gaza Strip in 2014 and 2015, respectively, and who are thought to still be alive; and two Israeli soldiers, Lt. Hadar Goldin and St.-Sgt. Oron Shaul, who Israel says were killed in action in the 2014 Gaza War. Hamas has not confirmed their deaths.
“Historically,” he continued, “no prisoners have been released over the years of conflict [between Israelis and Palestinians] without an exchange deal and without intensive efforts by brokers.”
According to Abdo, the process of reaching a prisoner swap deal between the two sides typically advances in several stages:
“In the beginning, Israel shows its absolute rejection [to the deal], starts procrastinating, goes to secret negotiations, imposes a total press blackout and moves forward in realizing a deal,” the political analyst says.
Apparently, reaching a deal between Hamas and Israel is just a matter of time. This was the confident prediction of Hamas spokespeople on several occasions.
Despite Israel’s procrastination and lies, it will eventually meet our conditions and the exchange deal will be realized
“Despite Israel’s procrastination and lies, it will eventually meet our conditions and the exchange deal will be realized,” Ismael Radwan, a leading Hamas member, told The Media Line.
Radwan stressed that the Palestinian prisoners’ cause “is a top priority” on his movement’s agenda and that Palestinian resistance groups “are capable of reaching another Wafa al-Ahrar exchange deal.”
Abdo claimed that Israel had passed the denial phase, saying, “After rejecting the entire concept of the deal, Israel, with the efforts of the Egyptian and German mediators, is now showing a kind of acceptance of the reality.”
The Palestinian newspaper Alayyam revealed on Friday that Israel had submitted a request through Egypt to obtain a video recording of its soldiers captured by Hamas since 2014.
According to the newspaper, a source indicated that Hamas responded with a demand that the requested video be in return for the release of all female, minor and hospitalized prisoners, as well as those who were released in the Wafa al-Ahrar deal and subsequently re-arrested.
“So far, it’s early to talk about a deep and clear breakthrough in the prisoner swap deal file. However, the recent talks about German mediation signal slight progress in the negotiation process, and we might witness some significant updates in the coming months because, ultimately, Israel knows that the only way to bring back its boys is via a prisoner exchange deal [with Hamas],” Abdo concluded.