Gershon Baskin, an Israeli negotiator involved in the talks, backed up claims that despite repeated attempts by Israel to engage with Hamas diplomatically, the Gaza-based group continues to deny it is holding Mengistu, leaving negotiations in a deadlock.
Jerusalem expects Hamas to free 2 captives on humanitarian grounds, officials say; hostages won’t be included in deal for return of soldiers’ bodies
Adiv Sterman
According to the officials, who spoke under condition of anonymity, the Israeli government expects Hamas to release 28-year-old Avraham Mengistu, as well as a Bedouin-Israeli citizen whose name was not released for publication, as the two apparently crossed into Gaza on their own accord due to personal problems. The captivity of the two men is viewed by Israel as a humanitarian issue unrelated to the negotiations over the bodies of the two deceased soldiers, which have been held by Hamas since last summer’s fighting, an official also told Walla news.
Avraham Mengistu
Hamas has previously used captives as leverage to press the Israeli government to release Palestinian security prisoners. In 2011, Israel released 1,027 Palestinian prisoners, in four waves, in return for the release of kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.
A gag order concerning the two hostages was lifted early Thursday, following a court petition by two Israeli media outlets.
While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials made it clear that they held Hamas ultimately responsible for the welfare and safety of the two missing Israelis, a senior Palestinian official based in the Gaza Strip denied that the group was holding Mengistu. According to the official, Mengistu was briefly held by the group but was released a short while later after Hamas interrogators determined he was not a soldier. The official further claimed that the Israeli citizen left the coastal strip via a tunnel to Sinai, apparently in an attempt to reach Ethiopia.
On Wednesday, however, exiled Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal alluded to Mengistu and the second man when discussing Israelis held by his organization. Speaking with the Arabic language al-Araby al-Jadeed newspaper, Mashaal claimed Israel had requested of European officials that they mediate in negotiations with Hamas over the release of the captured individuals.
“We won’t let Israeli prisoners go before the release of Palestinian prisoners,” Mashaal told the outlet.
Mashaal’s comments followed several hints from Hamas that it was holding Mengistu and another live Israeli captive, in addition to the bodies of Goldin and Shaul. Israeli officials have confirmed in the past that the Gaza-based group holds the remains of the two IDF soldiers.
At a rally in Gaza on Wednesday, Hamas displayed a huge model fist holding a mock up of Shaul’s ID card and two other IDF IDs with question marks on them, implying that it holds two Israeli soldiers captive. Mengistu, who suffered from unspecified mental issues, was rejected for IDF service.
Little is known of the whereabouts of Mengistu, who climbed over the Gaza security fence in September last year. Family members have described Mengistu as “unwell” and urged Hamas to consider his condition and return him to Israel immediately.
The second hostage, an Israeli from the Bedouin village of Hura, reportedly entered Gaza via the Erez Crossing in April. According to an Israeli official, the man has mild psychological issues and has a history of entering Jordan, Egypt and Gaza.
On Thursday, Gershon Baskin, an Israeli negotiator involved in the talks, backed up claims that despite repeated attempts by Israel to engage with Hamas diplomatically, the Gaza-based group continues to deny it is holding Mengistu, leaving negotiations in a deadlock.
“They wanted to return him back to Israel; he refused to be sent back,” Baskin said, quoting Hamas, adding that spokesmen for the terror group said that “he was briefly detained, but let go when it became clear he had mental issues.”
“According to Hamas, they’re not holding him and this has been checked by the government, the Hamas police and the al-Qassam Brigade,” said Baskin, who said he had been involved in talks with Mashaal for months to secure Mengistu’s release.
Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin said Thursday morning that Israel is certain that both Israelis are in Gaza, and urged their immediate release on basic humanitarian grounds.
Originally Published at http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-no-prisoner-release-in-exchange-for-citizens-held-in-gaza/
