Hamas has rejected Israel's latest proposals for a prisoner swap and asked a German mediator to continue to pursue a deal, a Hamas official said on Wednesday after leaders of the movement ended their consultations in Damascus. "The consultations will continue and the negotiations will continue. We cannot say that the deal has reached a dead end. And we cannot say that (the talks were) concluded by a deal," Ayman Taha told Reuters.
Another Hamas official in Gaza Fawzi Barhoum in Gaza told Ma’an news agency, “Hamas is still holding internal consultations among its leaders concerning the Israeli response … it is too early to talk about concluding these consultations or releasing any outcomes.” “If these consultations are concluded, Hamas will deliver its response to the German mediator,” he said.
A Hamas source close to the talks said the German mediator who has been shuttling between the sides will launch a new round of negotiations next week.
