Prisoners Defense Office: Kidnap more soldiers; raise swap demands to 11,600

Date: 31 / 03 / 2009 Time: 12:21

[Ma'anImages]

Gaza – Ma’an – The Palestinian Prisoners Defense Office called on Shalit’s captors to increase their bargaining power and kidnap more soldiers to ensure the success of a prisoner swap and the freedom of 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.

The comments from the office came in after Israel tightened restrictions on Hamas affiliates and Islamic Jihad members in Israeli prison, and conducted a mass sweep of arrests targeting Hamas leaders in the West Bank.

The office also called swap negotiators to include the names of more prisoners in their demanded list to 11,600 prisoners.

The office condemned the recent reports of psychological warfare on Palestinians in Israeli detention centers, and the harsh living conditions imposed on political leaders.