Hamas open to prisoner exchange to 'empty Israeli prisons'

The military wing of Hamas, Al-Qassam Brigades, said on Saturday they are ready for a prisoners' exchange deal that will "empty Israeli prisons" and allow the return of all Palestinian and Israeli prisoners, either in the form of one comprehensive deal or in stages.

In a televised speech, spokesman for Al-Qassam Brigades Abu Ubaida said: "If the enemy wants to close the prisoners' chapter at once, we are ready, and if they want a path with stages, we are also ready."

This came after a night in which the Gaza Strip witnessed the "heaviest" bombardment since the beginning of the Israeli war on Oct. 7.

He added: "The price is to completely empty the Israeli prisons of all Palestinian prisoners."

Regarding the anticipated ground operation in Gaza, Abu Ubaida stated: "The enemy will taste a defeat greater than it expected or feared, and the time of Zionism's collapse has begun."

He continued: "We tell the enemy, which repeats its threats of ground invasion on a daily basis, that we are still waiting for it. The time of selling illusions and lies about an invincible army and superior intelligence is over."

"Targeting of civilians by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip is a reflection of the damage and humiliation of Oct. 7. The occupation's aggression and the holocaust and massacres (in Gaza) are results of great pain it (Israel) is experiencing. We have broken and destroyed it in the eyes of the world."

Gaza has been under relentless Israeli airstrikes since the surprise offensive by Hamas on Oct. 7.

The Palestinian group had initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood -- a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea, and air.

Israel responded with an uninterrupted campaign of air raids, which intensified Friday night along with ground activities amid a complete blackout of telecommunications and internet networks.

At least 7,703 Palestinians, including 3,595 children, have been killed in the Israeli attacks, while the death toll in Israel stands at more than 1,400.

Gaza's 2.3 million residents are also grappling with shortages of food, water, and medicine due to Israel's blockade of the enclave. Only a few aid trucks have crossed into Gaza since the opening of the Rafah crossing point last weekend.