Netanyahu Rules Out Ceasefire or Prisoner Swap for US-Israeli Hostage

AFP/APP

Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that the release of a US-Israeli hostage announced by Hamas would not lead to a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip or the release of Palestinian prisoners.

Negotiations for a possible deal to secure the release of all hostages in Gaza would continue “under fire, during preparations for an intensification of the fighting”, Netanyahu said in a statement released by his office.

Hamas on Sunday said it would release Edan Alexander, a US-Israeli soldier held in Gaza, as the group revealed it was engaged in direct talks with the United States towards a ceasefire in the war-battered territory.