Israeli occupation soldiers captured in Gaza will not be released unless Palestinian detainees get out in return, head of Hamas political bureau Ismail Haniyeh said. 

In an interview with the international Arab Forum for Solidarity with Detainees in Israeli Jails, the top Hamas official emphasized that the issue of Palestinian detainees is on top of Hamas’s agenda. 

The movement supports the detainees in the Israeli occupation jails by strengthening their steadfastness and working hard to free them, Haniyeh explained. 

The Hamas chief added that the movement has managed to free more than a thousand detainees from Israeli jails in the Wafaa Al-Aharar (“True Promise of Free Men”) prisoner swap deal, pointing out that the Israeli occupation doesn’t make compromises willingly. 

Concerning the "Sword of Jerusalem" battle with the Israeli occupation, Haniyeh confirmed that this confrontation with the Israeli occupation forces is a milestone in the history of Palestine, as it has “put the region on the path towards ending the Israeli occupation of Palestine”. 

Haniyeh also hailed the mission of the Forum that raises awareness of the issues of the Arab and Islamic Ummah. “It also emphasizes the importance of collective work and partnership in the face of dangers posed to the Palestinian issue.”

Arab and Islamic nations consensually agree that the Palestinian cause is the central issue for the Ummah, he added. 

Expressing his sorrow over the security agreement between the Israeli occupation and Morocco, the top Hamas official also warned against ongoing normalization agreements with the Israeli occupation aimed at forming security and military coalitions in the region led by the occupation.

Regarding the British decision to blacklist Hamas, Haniyeh explained that this move is intended to support the Israeli occupation. 

“It is an attempt to contain the mounting solidarity with the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian resistance,” Haniyeh continued.