GAZA, (PIC)-- Dr. Mahmoud Al-Zahhar, a political bureau member of Hamas, has denied that new proposals were tabled regarding the prisoners' exchange deal between the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) and Palestinian resistance factions holding the soldier Gilad Shalit.
Zahhar told Al-Jazeera TV network on Saturday night that Hamas was ready to resume the swap talks, which Hamas considers a humanitarian case, adding that the deal was frozen for the past five months after a halt in German mediation.
He held the IOA responsible for wasting time and for aborting conclusion of the deal.
"There is no use in searching for a new mediator as long as the IOA changed the rules of the game," he elaborated, noting that the IOA was the one that asked for introducing a German mediator in the negotiations over the swap deal and not Hamas.
For its part, the Israeli government said that the German mediator was the only one authorized to negotiate over the swap deal.
Hebrew media quoted officials in the premier's office as saying that the German mediator was "carrying on with his duties".
Meanwhile, the higher national committee for prisoners said that it would organize a solidarity sit-in in front of Zahhar's house in Gaza for relatives of Palestinian prisoners.
It added that the relatives would deliver a message to Zahahr asking Hamas not to give up its position regarding the prisoners' exchange deal.
The committee explained that the step was taken in response to the campaign by Shalit's family that involved thousands of people to pressure Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu to work for the release of Shalit.
River to Sea
Uprooted Palestinian
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