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Mohammed al-Hindi, deputy secretary-general of the Islamic Jihad movement, said that the Israeli occupation government is procrastinating in the file of exchanging civilians despite reaching an agreement mediated by Qatar, stressing that it will not be able to free a single prisoner or detainee by force, and that it is inevitable to whitewash the occupation prisons completely and without exception.
Al-Hindi confirmed in an interview with Al Jazeera that the Qatari mediator - with the knowledge of the United States - recently reached a written agreement to exchange some civilians from both sides, and the resistance agreed to it, but Israel backed down and tried to impose new conditions.
Al-Hindi explained that Israel is not interested in the lives of its prisoners or its detainees, and that it is trying to kill them in every way, while the resistance factions are keen on the lives of everyone they have because they want to benefit from them in removing all Palestinian prisoners from all currents.
The deputy secretary-general of Islamic Jihad stressed that the file of Palestinian prisoners is not exclusive to a particular faction and that it belongs to the Palestinian people, stressing that the whitewashing of prisons will include all prisoners without exception, especially those belonging to factions that did not participate in the Al-Aqsa flood operation.
Regarding the Israeli procrastination, Al-Hindi said that the occupation government tried to raise the age of those covered by the deal from 18 years to 19 years, so that it can include recruits in the exchange process, because recruitment then starts from 19 years.
But al-Hindi stressed that the issue of the exchange of military prisoners will never take place without a clear deal under which all Palestinian prisoners are released, including about 3,7 arrested after the October <> operation.
He also stressed that there is no separation in the negotiation tracks between Islamic Jihad and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), because they believe that the prisoner exchange file is a Palestinian file that does not concern a specific movement, adding that those languishing in Israeli prisons "are the leaders of the Palestinian people."
Al-Hindi reiterated that Israel has only two options: either to release civilians for civilians in principle, or to release all for all.
Al-Hindi said that the upper hand is still for the resistance, and that all Israel's options are difficult in the issue of prisoners and detainees because any exchange means victory for the Palestinians, and this is what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is procrastinating to flee.
Earlier in the day, US President Joe Biden told reporters that he was in daily contact with people involved in negotiations for the release of detainees, and that he believed it would be done, but declined to elaborate.
Source : Al Jazeera