FALCON POWERS – Ziad al-Nakhalah, the Secretary-General of the “Islamic Jihad Movement,” affirmed on Sunday that Palestinian factions have enough Israeli prisoners to carry out a swap that would ensure the release of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons. This statement was made during a recorded speech marking the anniversary of the Israeli massacre in the Gaza Strip.
Al-Nakhalah stated, “The Islamic Jihad Movement, Hamas, and other factions have sufficient Israeli prisoners to guarantee the release of our captives.”
Tel Aviv estimates that there are 101 captives in Gaza out of at least 239 Israelis captured on October 7. Many of these captives were exchanged during a temporary ceasefire in November, while Hamas announced that many others were killed in indiscriminate Israeli airstrikes.
The number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails exceeds 9,900, excluding all detainees from Gaza held in camps run by the Israeli occupation forces, according to the Prisoners’ Club.
Regarding ceasefire negotiations with Israel and prisoner exchanges, al-Nakhalah said, “From the first day of the battle, our decision was to unite the resistance forces, and we entrusted Hamas to lead the political battle.”
He added, “The enemy has evaded its commitments and wants to impose terms on us that are closer to surrender.”
He continued: “We insist on the complete withdrawal of the occupation from Gaza and reconstruction; a prisoner exchange guarantees the release of our captives from the occupation’s prisons.”
Despite ongoing mediation efforts for months, with proposals for agreements to end the war on Gaza and facilitate prisoner exchanges, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to set new conditions. Earlier, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Mossad Chief David Barnea warned that these conditions would hinder reaching a deal.
These conditions include “maintaining control over the Philadelphi route along the Gaza-Egypt border, the Rafah crossing in Gaza, and preventing the return of Palestinian fighters to northern Gaza (by screening those returning through the Netzarim corridor).”
On the other hand, Hamas insists on a complete withdrawal of Israel from the Gaza Strip and a total cessation of hostilities before accepting any agreement.
Al-Nakhalah emphasized that “the unity of the resistance forces in the region is essential for victory, and the unity of the Palestinian people is a duty in confronting the enemy.”
He noted that “our fighters on the Lebanese front (from Islamic Jihad) fought shoulder to shoulder with the fighters of the Islamic Resistance (Hezbollah).”
With unwavering U.S. support, Israel has been committing genocide in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, resulting in over 139,000 Palestinian martyrs and wounded, the majority being children and women, and more than 10,000 missing, amidst massive destruction and famine that has claimed the lives of dozens of children, marking one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world.
In defiance of the international community, Israel continues its genocidal war, ignoring the United Nations Security Council’s resolution to cease hostilities immediately and the International Court of Justice’s orders to take measures to prevent genocide and improve the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza.
