Haniyeh: Israeli prisoners ‘will not see daylight’ until Palestinian inmates released

Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh says Israeli prisoners in the besieged Gaza Strip will not see the light of day until Palestinian inmates held in Israeli jails are released.

The head of the Palestinian resistance movement made the remarks in an interview with the international Arab Forum for Solidarity with Detainees in Israeli Jails on Saturday, the movement's official website reported on Sunday.

Haniyeh stressed that the issue of the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails would remain a top priority for Hamas and the movement supports these inmates by strengthening their steadfastness and working hard until they enjoy “the sun of freedom.”

He also added that Hamas has managed to free more than a thousand Palestinian detainees from Israeli jails in the Wafaa al-Aharar (“True Promise of Free Men”) prisoner swap deal with the occupying regime in 2011.

Haniyeh emphasized that Tel Aviv does not make compromises willingly, confirming that “this enemy gives nothing without forcing it to do so.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, Haniyeh paid homage to Operation al-Quds Sword, which marked the latest military faceoff between the Israel regime and the Gaza-based resistance groups, including Hamas.

He confirmed that this confrontation with the Israeli occupation forces was a milestone in the history of Palestine, as it has “put the region on the path towards ending the Israeli occupation of Palestine.”

Haniyeh once again lambasted the decision by the United Kingdom to ban Hamas in its entirety as a “terrorist organization” with threats of up to 14 years in prison for those publicly supporting the Palestinian movement, which plays a significant role in defending Palestinian rights against frequent Israeli aggression.

“It is an attempt to contain the mounting solidarity with the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian resistance,” Haniyeh said, stressing that the move is intended to support the Israeli occupation.

SS