Hamas demands release of Marwan Barghouti in hostage deal - report
Mediators, including the US, reportedly expressed support for Barghouti's release.
Hamas demanded the release of Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti as part of the hostage and prisoner exchange deal, according to a Friday Sky News Arabia report.
According to the report, there was an indication that the mediators and the US expressed support for Barghouti's release. The US has openly supported the idea of "renewed authority" over the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Does Barghouti have a future in Gaza?
The call for the Fatah leader's release was allegedly connected to Hamas's concerns that it would not be able to maintain power over the Gaza Strip and Barghouti would be a way to maintain a position of influence.
The 64-year-old reportedly has wide support in both the West Bank and Gaza.
In May, Maariv reported, citing the Saudi Asharq channel, that Israel no longer opposed Barghouti's release but had insisted he be released into Gaza instead of the West Bank.
Barghouti, former leader of the Tanzim, a militant faction of the Palestinian Fatah movement, was sentenced in 2004 by an Israeli court to five cumulative life sentences and 40 years in prison for terrorist acts in which five Israelis were murdered and many injured.
This is a developing story
Jerusalem Post staff contributed to this report.
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