Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal
Oct 17,
2023. Posted by Balkan Periscope - Hellas
A top Hamas
leader said on Monday the group "has what it needs" to free all
Palestinians in Israel's jails, indicating the militant group may try to use
the Israelis it kidnapped as bargaining chips to secure the release of Palestinian
prisoners.
Soon after Hamas official Khaled Meshaal made the remarks on the captives, who include Israelis and non-Israelis kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7, the group's armed wing separately said the non-Israelis were "guests" who would be released "when circumstances allow".
Hamas, which
like other factions has long called for the release of the roughly 6,000
Palestinians in Israeli prisons, "has what it needs to empty the prisons
of all prisoners," Meshaal, a former Hamas chief who now heads its
diaspora office in Doha, told AlAraby TV.
Israel,
which has bombarded Gaza with strikes that have killed hundreds of
Palestinians, has said it would act to free the hostages while eliminating
Hamas.
Reuters