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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/20/israel-gaza-blockade-hamas
Hamas Refuses to Free Israeli Soldier in Return for Lifting Gaza Blockade
[Guardian-UK] Ian Black - Hamas has flatly rejected Israel's demand that it free a captive soldier in return for lifting the blockade of the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian movement called instead for international pressure on Israel to force the borders open. Mousa Abu Marzook, the deputy leader of Hamas, told the Guardian in Damascus Thursday that Corporal Gilad Shalit would only be released in return for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. The soldier is believed to be alive but his whereabouts are unknown and he has not been seen by the International Red Cross.