“Egypt has told Hamas it will not allow Israel to renege on any of the agreements made in the prisoner swap deal,” Hamas spokesperson Fawzy Barhoum said Tuesday, referring to an agreement between Hamas and Israel in which 1027 Palestinian prisoners will be freed in return for Israeli Sergeant Gilad Shalit, who was captured in 2006. “Things are going well, phase one of the deal was a complete success,” Barhoum told the Al Jazeera satellite television station. Barhoum described the circumstances under which the swap is taking place as “positive.” Hamas is in constant communication with all involved parties in order to ensure the Palestinian prisoners are released in the best manner, he added. The prisoner swap began on Tuesday morning in accordance with the deal that was struck under the auspices of the Egyptian government. Israel's high court rejected on Monday a number of Israeli appeals to block the deal.
