Hamas intends to leverage the captured Israelis to initiate negotiations for the release of Palestinians held in US custody and Arabs detained in Israeli prisons.
"We will be requesting the release of Palestinians detained in America on charges related to funding Hamas," stated Hamas spokesman Ali Baraka in a statement to The Associated Press on Monday. He further emphasized that Hamas would also pursue the release of all Arabs currently held in Israeli prisons.
Baraka also stated that Hamas is prepared for "all possible scenarios" of the conflict, including the prospect of a "protracted war." He mentioned that since the escalation in Gaza in 2014, Hamas has been actively training its fighters and manufacturing its own rockets.
The Hamas spokesman attributed the large-scale attack by the organization to Israeli government actions related to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the heart of Jerusalem and the heightened pressure on Palestinian prisoners incarcerated in Israeli facilities.
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Based on materials from TASS