Hamas demands release of 3 top Palestinian leaders in any prisoner swap deal: report

JERUSALEM (AA) – Hamas has demanded the release of three top Palestinian leaders in any prisoner swap deal, according to the Israeli media.

Hamas insists Marwan Barghouti, Ahmed Saadat and Abdullah Barghouti be on the list of prisoners to be released in any new deal, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported.

Barghouti, 64, a member of Fatah’s Central Committee, is most favored to chair the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority after President Mahmoud Abbas, according to Palestinian opinion polls.

He was arrested by Israel in 2002 and slapped with five life sentences.

Barghouti “can change the face of the Palestinian Authority,” the newspaper said.

Saadat, Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), was arrested in 2008 and slapped with a 30-year jail term in connection with the killing of Israeli Tourism Minister Rehavam Ze’evi in 2001.

Abdullah Barghouti is a top Hamas leader and was slapped with multiple life sentences for an alleged spate of attacks against Israelis.

Israel refused to include the three leaders in a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas in 2011, which saw the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in return for over 1,000 Palestinian detainees.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli government on the report.

Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh arrived in Cairo on Wednesday amid Egyptian efforts to mediate a new hostage swap deal between the Palestinian group and Israel.

During a week-long suspension of attacks in Gaza last month, Hamas released 81 Israelis and 24 foreigners in exchange for 240 Palestinians, including 71 women and 169 children.

Nearly 130 Israelis are held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip following its cross-border attack on October 7.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since October 7, killing nearly 20,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 52,586, according to health authorities in the enclave.