GAZA CITY, 4 July 2006 — Palestinians who have captured an Israeli soldier yesterday gave Israel 24 hours to start releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, implying they will kill the soldier Tuesday morning if their demands were not met.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert rejected any negotiations with the Palestinians and the army pressed ahead with its Gaza offensive. Privately, though, some Israeli officials said the government had not ruled out any options to win Cpl. Gilad Shalit’s freedom.
Israel has pounded Gaza with airstrikes and artillery shells for nearly a week in an unsuccessful effort to force the Palestinians to release Shalit. Israel sent a small force of tanks into northern Gaza yesterday, raising fears it was gearing up for a large invasion.
After Shalit was seized in a June 25 raid on an army post, his captors demanded Israel free all imprisoned Palestinian women and minors in exchange for information about him. They later increased their demand to include the release of a further 1,000 prisoners.
Early yesterday morning, Hamas’ military wing — one of the three groups holding him — issued a statement giving Israel until 6 a.m. Tuesday to “start” freeing the prisoners.
If Israel doesn’t comply, “we will consider the soldier’s case to be closed,” the statement said, “and then the enemy must bear all the consequences of the future results.”
Abu Obeida, spokesman for the Hamas military wing, later told The Associated Press that Israel must at least begin freeing the women and minors.
“Israel must understand that the resistance factions are serious in this matter. They will close this case if (Israel) doesn’t deal with the demands,” he said, adding that the abductors would not compromise.
But less than 10 hours before the deadline, the Hamas-led government’s spokesman, Ghazi Hamad, said he still hoped for a diplomatic solution.
“We reiterate the necessity to resolve this problem with logic and wisdom and we think there remains a chance to reach an acceptable formula,” he said. Abu Obeida refused to specify what the abductors would do if the ultimatum was ignored. Killing Shalit, however, would remove their only leverage against Israel and would likely invite far harsher reprisals against Gaza.
Mohammed Dahlan, a Palestinian legislator and close ally to moderate President Mahmoud Abbas, said the ultimatum was a negotiating tactic and that efforts to broker a compromise were continuing.
“What we care about now in the Gaza Strip is not to reach a point of no return,” he said. “Everyone has an interest in getting out of this crisis.”
The White House urged the abductors to release Shalit. “It is the responsibility of Hamas to return the Israeli soldier. That’s how all this got started. We have also been encouraging Israel from the very beginning to practice restraint and continue to do so,” White House Press Secretary Tony Snow said.
— With input from agencies
