Deputy Hamas chief Saleh Al-Arouri told the pan-Arab Al Jazeera TV that no more prisoners would be exchanged with Israel until there was a ceasefire in Gaza.
Arouri said the hostages still being held captive by Hamas were Israeli soldiers and civilian men who had previously served in the Israeli army.
He said they would not be freed unless there was a ceasefire and all Palestinian detainees were also released. “Let the war take its course. This decision is final. We will not compromise on it,” Arouri said.
Meanwhile, An Israeli air strike targeting the town of Al-Faluja, 30 km (18 miles) northeast of Gaza City, has killed prominent Palestinian scientist Sufyan Tayeh and his family, the Palestinian Higher Education ministry has announced, Reuters reports.
Tayeh, who was president of the Islamic University of Gaza, was a leading researcher in physics and applied mathematics-Reuters
