On the anniversary of the capture of IDF soldier Oron Shaul by Hamas, the organization’s spokesman Hazem Qassem stated that "the issue of (security) prisoners will continue to be at the top of Hamas's list of priorities."
Oron Shaul was killed in the Battle of Shuja'iyya during Operation Protective Edge in 2014, and was recognized as an IDF soldier whose burial place is unknown.
Qassem further said that Hamas will continue to work for the release of the security prisoners "using all means", stressing that "the occupation will not see its prisoners (a reference to IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians held by Hamas) unless it pays the price."
Senior Hamas officials, including the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar, are working to promote an exchange deal with Israel that will result in the return of the Israeli soldiers and civilians in exchange for the release of over 1,000 terrorist prisoners, including prisoners who are serving life sentences for murdering Jews.
At the same time, senior members of the Hamas movement have threatened to kidnap additional Israeli soldiers in order to increase the pressure on the Israeli government to reach an exchange deal.
Hamas recently released a short video showing Hisham al-Sayed, a Bedouin resident held by the organization, connected to an oxygen machine. Hamas offered to carry out a partial exchange deal in which al-Sayed would be returned to Israel in exchange for the release of sick Palestinian Arab prisoners.
Israel rejected the offer and demands that the exchange deal be carried out in one comprehensive move.