Hamas: Prisoner Exchange With Israel Is Possible Starting Monday

JAKARTA - Prisoner exchanges with Israel by ceasefire agreement in Gaza are likely to begin on Monday (13/10), said Mousa Abou Marzouq, an official of the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas.

"The exchange of prisoners may begin on Monday," Mousa Abou Marzouq said in a televised interview on Friday (10/10).

He emphasized that Hamas had no intention of making the process of handing over prisoners a place for militarization or public celebration. The first phase of the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel took effect on Friday at 01:00 local time (16:00 WIB).

According to agreement documents broadcast by KAN TV station, Hamas will release the surviving Israeli hostages within 72 hours of Israel's ratification of the deal.

The document also states that Hamas will provide all the information they have about the Israeli hostages killed to a joint mechanism that will involve Turkey, Qatar, Egypt, and the International Red Cross Committee (ICRC).

Israel estimates 48 of their prisoners are still in Gaza, including 20 people believed to be alive. On the other hand, more than 11,100 Palestinians were detained in Israeli prisons and subject to torture, hunger, and medical neglect. Many of them have died, according to media reports and human rights Palestinians and Israelis.

Abou Marzouq also said that Hamas had a significant bargaining position in the negotiations. He said that the issue of prisoners was the reason Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu often used "to justify the continuation of the war in Gaza."

The Hamas official said his group was working with mediators to overcome obstacles and ensure the release of Palestinian leaders detained in Israeli prisons.

He also said that the Israeli army had withdrawn to the "yellow line", but still controlled 53 percent of the Gaza Strip.

The troop withdrawal line set by Israel, he said, was "inaccurate and arbitrarily drawn."

"Hamas will not accept the presence of Israel in the territory they currently control," said Abou Marzouq.

He revealed that the United States had sent troops to monitor the implementation of the ceasefire.

"These troops will not be stationed in the Gaza region, but in Israel," he said.