July 17 2008

In a celebration of the release of five Lebanese prisoners in an Hizbullah-Israeli prisoner swap, on Wednesday evening, Hamas leaders, including members of the Palestinian parliament, and among other groups, Palestinian boy scouts, joined a rally which began in front of the Khulafa mosque in Jabalia refugee camp.The Hamas leader Yasser Harb said in a statement, that the exchange of prisoners contravene the Israelis policy of refusing to release detainees who has "blood on their hands."

On Wednesday evening Hamas celebrated the Israelis release of five Lebanese prisoners,.Those to return home are, Sameer Kantar, Khadher Zeidan, Mohammed Srour, Hussein Sulaiman and Maher Kurani. Sameer Kantar, earlier a member of the Palestinian Liberation Front (PLF). has spent nearly three decades in Israeli prison. Sameer Kantar was convicted 1979, of kidnapping and killing three Israelis. Sameer Kantar received four life time sentences.

On July 16, on Wednesday afternoon, the Israelis handed over the prisoners to Hizbullah, along with the remains of about 200 resistance fighters,while the remains of two Israelis occupation soldier was returned to the Israelis by Hizbullah.Hamas has on several occasions made attempts to negotiate a similar prisoner exchange with the Israelis.Hamas is demanding the release of some hundreds of Palestinian political prisoners ( over 10.000 Palestinians political prisoners languish in Israeli jails and detention-centres)in exchange for the release of the captive Israeli occupation soldier,Gilad Shalit, held in an undisclosed location since 2006.

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