"No prisoner swap before end of war": Hamas
Oct 10, 2023
Ramallah [Palestine], October 10 : Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has said that the issue of prisoner swaps won't be addressed until the end of the war, The Times of Israel reported.
The head of the Hamas political bureau said that the "prisoner exchanges will only be tackled after the end of the war."
The terrorist group's commander claims in a statement that the decision has been communicated to "parties that have contacted us" and offered to mediate a release of those held captive through a prisoner swap.
According to The Times of Israel, Haniyeh also praised Gazans for their fortitude and readiness to die for the Palestinian cause, and claimed that Israel's counter-offensive is a reflection of the "shame of its defeat."
The death toll on the Israeli side since Hamas infiltrated the country's border on Saturday has risen to over 900.
Whereas, the toll of the deceased on the Palestinian side stands at 770, including 140 children as of now.
Earlier today, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, shared a video on social media platform X, that showed airstrikes amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
"continue with all the strength," Netanyahu said.
In addition to this, at least 18 people have also been killed and around 100 were injured in the West Bank region since Saturday, Al Jazeera reported.
Earlier in the day, in a stern warning to Hamas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "though Israel did not start this war" but "will finish it".
"Israel is at war. We didn't want this war. It was forced upon us in the most brutal and savage way. But though Israel didn't start this war, Israel will finish it," said Netanyahu in an address to the nation.
As part of its retaliation against Hamas, Israel has mobilised 3,00,000 troops. This is the largest mobilisation since the 1973 Yom Kippur War when Israel called up 400,000 reservists, Times of Israel reported.
The Israeli Air Force continues to extensively attack many targets of the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas said civilian hostages would be executed without warning and the killings broadcast if Israel targets people in Gaza. The group claims to be holding more than 100 hostages, including Israeli army officers.
