Gaza’s ruling Hamas terrorist organization bluntly rejected a request by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to verify the conditions of the three living Israeli captives, and confirm the presence of the two deceased IDF soldiers, held by the group, during the meeting Tuesday between the two leaders.
Sources quoted Wednesday by A-Sharq al-Awsat said that during their meeting in Gaza on Tuesday, ICRC President Peter Maurer asked Hamas leader Yahyah Sinwar to disclose the fate of the captives and the conditions under which they are being held.
But according to the sources, Sinwar said the request was impossible to meet, adding their conditions were “better than that of Palestinians detained in Israel.” He also told Maurer that any swap deal between Hamas and Israel should “guarantee the release of Palestinian prisoners.”
Maurer is expected to share observations from his visit and from his exchanges with the authorities in Gaza, Israel and Ramallah, and with civil society representatives, during a news conference set for September 7 at the American Colony Hotel in Jerusalem.