Hamas has demanded the release of top Fatah figure and jailed Intifada leader Marwan Barghouti in the first phase of a proposed ceasefire and hostage release deal with Israel, APA reports citing Times of Israel.
According to a Sky News Arabia report, mediators — including the United States — accepted the demand for the highly popular Palestinian leader to be among the first security prisoners released in exchange for the Gaza hostages, should Israel and Hamas finalize a deal that has been in the works for months.
There was no immediate confirmation or reaction to the report from Israel.
Barghouti is serving five life sentences in an Israeli prison for his part in planning three terror attacks that killed five Israelis during the Second Intifada.
Citing unnamed sources, Sky News Arabia reported that Hamas has demanded Barghouti’s release as the terror group knows it cannot return to power in the Gaza Strip and sees the former head of Fatah’s Tanzim terrorist faction as a useful ally it could trust to run the Strip according to its liking.
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