Jerusalem, Dec 17 (EFE).- Hamas said on Sunday that there would be no hostage swap negotiations with Israel without a ceasefire to stop the fighting between the Palestinian Islamist group and the Israeli Army in the Gaza Strip.
According to a Hamas statement, the Palestinian group opposes negotiations on the release of the Israeli hostages it holds in Gaza.
“There will be no negotiation regarding any prisoner exchange deal unless there is a complete halt to aggression against the Gaza Strip and adherence to the conditions of the resistance,” said the Hamas statement.
The militant group said the position was conveyed to all mediators in the negotiations with Israel.
It said the group was willing “to engage in all efforts aimed at ending aggression in Gaza and the West Bank, releasing prisoners, and establishing a national framework for the recovery of national rights, leading to the creation of an independent Palestinian state with its capital in Jerusalem.”
On the other hand, the Israeli army admitted that its troops accidentally killed three hostages during combat in southern Gaza, amid growing pressure from the families of the kidnapped for a new truce that would allow them to be released after 71 days of war.
“During combat in Shejaiya, the IDF mistakenly identified three Israeli hostages as a threat. As a result, the troops fired toward them and they were killed,” government spokesperson Daniel Hagari said.
“During searches and checks in the area in which the incident occurred, a suspicion arose over the identities of the deceased.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the government regretted “the tragic deaths of three of our kidnapped people.”
“We will learn the lessons,” he said, adding that Israel would maintain “the military and diplomatic effort” to bring back all the hostages.
“We are fighting for our existence,” Netanyahu said. “We have to continue until victory.” EFE
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