Former senior Shin Bet official Yossi Amrosi spoke about the ongoing hostage deal negotiations on Tuesday.

Speaking in an interview with Radio Tzafon 104.5 FM, Amrosi said: “We need to examine the details such as how many prisoners, which prisoners, whether to leave Gaza, when to leave, what happens to displaced Gazans, and how much the IDF will be able to operate in Gaza.”

“One of the biggest minefields of the negotiations is the Philadelphi Corridor, the foundation for the question of whether Hamas will regain its strength – it’s the source of its military equipment.”

Arosi warned of one terrorist who he believes must not be released at any cost. “If you release Abdullah Barghouti, who is serving 67 life sentences, you release the next Yahya Sinwar.”

Abdullah Barghouti is a former Hamas commander (a relative of Marwan Barghouti) who is currently serving the longest prison sentence in Israeli history. He was sentenced to 67 life-term sentences for his involvement in the Sbarro suicide bombing, a double suicide bombing in the Ben Yehuda pedestrian mall, the Café Moment bombing, the 2002 Rishon LeZion bombing, the Hebrew University bombing, the Allenby Street bus bombing, the Pi Glilot bombing attempt, and an attack on railway tracks in Lod in which he personally laid the explosive charge. A total of 66 Israelis were killed and 500 injured in attacks that Barghouti was involved in.

It should be noted that the Palestinian Authority, which the Biden administration views as a trustworthy partner, has paid a stipend to Barghouti and his family throughout his imprisonment.

Hamas demanded the release of Barghouti in the Schalit deal in 2011 but Israel refused the demand. However, it did release current Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind behind the October 7th assault.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)