Captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit will not be freed until Israel releases hundreds of Palestinians from its jails, Hamas said.
“These prisoners are a surety which we must redeem,” Hamas wrote in an official statement Dec. 14 that marked the 22nd anniversary of its founding. “We will not give up on them, no matter how long it takes. That is what we swore and that is our obligation, and we will not give up until every last prisoner is freed from the prisons of the occupation.”
Shalit has been held in Gaza by Hamas for more than three years. Negotiations reportedly are at a standstill over Israel’s rejection of a few of the more than 450 prisoners Hamas wants released.
Also in the statement, Hamas called for reconciliation with Fatah, headed by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and said it believed in “resistance” to wrest land from Israel’s control. — jta