The Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth quoted an unnamed Palestinian source on Sunday as saying that a Hamas delegation will travel to Cairo to meet with representatives from Egypt, Qatar, and the United States to discuss the mechanisms for implementing a deal that would include the release of living Israeli prisoners in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, led by Marwan Barghouti, who has been imprisoned for more than 23 years.
The Palestinian source said that Marwan Barghouti "represents a unifying national symbol for Palestinians, and he cannot be ignored after all these years of detention," adding that "the insistence on keeping him in prison reflects Israel's lack of a genuine political vision."
The source explained that Hamas considers the release of Marwan Barghouti a fundamental, non-negotiable item in this round of negotiations, arguing that "the current opportunity may be the last to release him and reunite the Palestinian ranks."
Marwan Barghouti, a prominent leader in the Fatah movement, is one of the most popular figures in the Palestinian street. He has been serving five life sentences in Israeli prisons since 2002 on charges related to the Al-Aqsa Intifada.
According to the same source, Hamas is demanding the release of approximately 250 Palestinian prisoners, including prominent political and security figures, including the Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Ahmed Saadat, and the former commander of the Qassam Brigades in the West Bank, Abdullah Barghouti.
