On the tenth anniversary of hammering out the Wafa'a al-Ahrar Swap Deal (True promise of the freemen), the Islamic Resistance Movement "Hamas" issued the following statement:

In light of this anniversary, which brought hope and victory to our Palestinian people and restored the freedom of a group of heroes whom the occupation thought would keep them behind bars forever, we reaffirm that liberating our detainees from the occupation’s prisons is a religious, national, and humanitarian duty.

1. The detainee's issue is at top of the resistance’s priorities, and it will not rest until releasing them all by hammering out a similar deal soon.

2. Liberating the detainees is a strategic path for the Hamas movement and it will not retreat no matter the cost.

3. Al-Qassam Brigades has secured a remarkable victory in a security battle and a conflict of minds since capturing Israeli occupation soldier Gilad Shalit and holding him for more than five years in a very complicated security environment until delivering Shalit in a process that confused the Israeli security establishment.

4. We affirm that the release of the captured occupation soldiers in the Gaza Strip will be exchanged with the liberation of the Palestinian detainees. The occupation government must stop its evasion and declare to its people that the exchange deal is the only way to release the captured soldiers in Gaza.

5. We salute the masterminds of this deal, who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of their brothers, foremost al-Qassam Brigades commander Ahmad al-Jabari, and all freedom fighters, especially the martyred, who captured and held Shalit for more than five years. 

The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas
Monday: October 18, 2021