Gaza group says Hamas, Fatah delay prisoner deal
Source: Reuters
By Nidal al-Mughrabi GAZA, Jan 17 (Reuters) - A Gaza militant group involved in the abduction of an Israeli soldier said on Wednesday a power struggle between the ruling Hamas group and the Fatah faction was delaying a prisoner swap with Israel. The Army of Islam, one of three Palestinian groups including Hamas's armed wing that was involved in last June's capture of Gilad Shalit, said Hamas and President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement were exploiting the issue for their own political ends. Israel has said it is ready to free some of the 11,000 Palestinian prisoners in its jails for Shalit, but talks via Egyptian mediators have become bogged down. "The issue of the captured soldier has become a political case for the sake of narrow factional interests. Muslims are being prevented from gaining their freedom because of Fatah and because of Hamas," the statement said. "Either Fatah uses it to get at Hamas, or Hamas uses it to get at Fatah." It said Shalit was in Hamas's custody. At least 30 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Abbas called for new elections last month after failed talks with Hamas to form a unity government. The statement also urged Hamas to lift a veil of secrecy from the swap talks by having the Palestinian prisoner affairs minister handle the case. The Army of Islam said it had long agreed with Hamas that Shalit would not be released or killed as long as there was a chance for a prisoner swap with Israel. Hamas declined to comment on the statement. Mushir al-Masri, a senior Hamas lawmaker, repeated that "Hamas will never free Shalit before the demands of the armed wings holding him are met". Hamas is demanding the release of some 1,400 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Shalit. But the sides have failed to agree on which inmates would be released, or Israel's demand that Shalit be returned first.
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