(Reuters) – Hamas was about to reach an agreement with Israel over the hostages held by the Palestinian militant faction but Israel had “stalled” on that possibility, a spokesman for the group’s armed wing said on Saturday.
Abu Ubaida, the spokesman for the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, also said in a video speech the group would only release all the hostages it has if Israel freed all Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas can also hold talks over a “partial” agreement over the captives, he added.
(Reporting by Hatem Maher and Enas Alashray; editing by David Evans)
