An Islamic Hamas movement official warned Israel on Tuesday that the Egyptian-sponsored indirect talks with Hamas to free captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shcalit in exchange of Palestinian prisoners' release won't be eternal.
"The talks to finalize a prisoners' exchange agreement with Israel will not be opened forever and Hamas movement is still stick to its demands to finalize the deal," said Osama al-Muzeini who is closed to Schalit's case.
Hamas and two other Gaza minor armed groups seized Schalit in the summer of 2006 in an armed attack on an Israeli army base southeast of the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip.
For freeing Schalit, Hamas is demanding a release of 1,450 prisoners in Israeli prisons, including 450 held for life as well as children, women, patients, Hamas lawmakers and ministers.
In direct talks in Cairo two weeks ago failed at the last moment to reach an agreement on the deal. Both Israel and Hamas have traded accusations that each side was hardening its conditions.
"The failure of the last round of the talks with Israel had failed because Israel continued rejecting Hamas demands. These demands are humanitarian and logical and not impossible," al- Muzeini said in a press statement.
Israel is holding around 11,000 Palestinians in its jails, most of them were detained and sentenced since the beginning of the Palestinian Intifada, or uprising, that erupted against Israel in late September 2000.
"Hamas demands are not impossible, especially when it agreed not to release all the prisoners at once, but accepted the idea to free them on stages," said al-Muzeini, adding "the ball now is at the Israeli playground."
(Xinhua News Agency March 24, 2009)