CAIRO: Hamas is demanding the release of high-profile Palestinian inmate Marwan Barghouti from an Israeli jail as part of ongoing negotiations on a hostage-prisoner exchange, Egyptian state-linked media reported Tuesday.
Al-Qahera News, which is close to Egypt’s intelligence services, said talks had begun in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh on the lists of Palestinian inmates to be freed by Israel under a potential ceasefire deal.
Barghouti, a leading member of the Palestinian Fatah party and imprisoned since 2002, is among several high-profile detainees whose release is being sought by Hamas.
Other names mentioned include Ahmad Saadat, Hassan Salameh and Abbas Al-Sayed.
Indirect talks have been underway since Monday in Sharm El-Sheikh as part of a 20-point plan proposed by US President Donald Trump to secure a ceasefire in Gaza.
The plan includes the release of hostages seized by Hamas and other Palestinian militants in the October 7, 2023 attacks that sparked the Gaza war.
In return for the hostages, Israel is expected to release 250 Palestinian prisoners with life sentences and more than 1,700 detainees from Gaza taken during the war.
The plan also includes a phased Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and the disarmament of Hamas.
On Sunday, Hamas said it was ready to reach an agreement to end the war in the Palestinian territory and to carry out an immediate exchange of hostages and prisoners with Israel.
Hamas seeking Marwan Barghouti release in Gaza talks: Egypt media
https://arab.news/bsx2c
Hamas seeking Marwan Barghouti release in Gaza talks: Egypt media
- Barghouti, a leading member of the Fatah party and imprisoned since 2002, is among several high-profile detainees whose release is being sought by Hamas
Syrian authorities repair Deir Ezzor airport runway to prepare for resuming flights
- Airport has been out of service for more than a decade because of civil war
LONDON: Syrian authorities are repairing key infrastructure at Deir Ezzor Civil Airport ahead of flights being resumed. Government forces have been in control of northeastern Syria since January.
Syria’s General Authority of Civil Aviation and Air Transport announced on Monday that technical and engineering teams are repairing the runway, essential facilities, and rebuilding the airport’s perimeter fence to meet international safety and security standards.
The airport has been out of service for more than a decade due to the civil war in the country, which damaged infrastructure, including several bridges in northeastern Syria, where towns are next to the Euphrates River.
The Syrian government regained control over the region from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces through an agreement in January that established a ceasefire and outlined a phased integration of military and administrative structures.
On Sunday, Syrian authorities took over security responsibilities at Qamishli airport in Hasaka Province, northeastern Syria, as part of the agreement with the SDF.
