Deputy Hamas chief Saleh Al-Arouri told Al Jazeera on Saturday that there will be no further exchanges of captives between Israel and Hamas until the conclusion of the conflict in Gaza.
The Hamas official specified that the remaining hostages includ Israeli soldiers and civilian men with a history of service in the Israeli army. "From our perspective, the elderly Israeli captives are considered soldiers since some of them are still in reserves. The occupation has decided not to renew the exchange deal under new standards," the official said.
His comments come after Israel said the talks between the two sides reached a stalemate after the group allegedly failed to fulfill its part of the agreement.
