PNA, Hamas say Israel violates swap deal

Updated: 2011-12-16 10:25

(Xinhua)

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RAMALLAH - The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and Gaza's Hamas government on Thursday accused Israel of not respecting criteria related to the second phase of prisoner swap deal.

The 550 prisoners scheduled to be released next week by Israel do not include those who spent long sentences, patients, young inmates and the remaining five women, officials from the two authorities said.

In the first phase of prisoner swap in October, Israel freed 450 prisoners and got back its soldier Gilad Shalit after Hamas held him for more than five years.

It was Hamas which selected the names of the detainees to be freed in the first part of the Egyptian-brokered deal.

Ziad Abu Ein, the PNA's deputy minister of prisoners affairs, told Xinhua that nearly 65 percent of those who would be freed next week have less than one year left for their sentences.

Abu Ein criticized Hamas for not imposing standards taking in consideration the time left for the prisoners from their sentences.

In a statement, meanwhile, Hamas' ministry of prisoners affairs said Israel violated the agreement.