������

Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Hamas movement, announced on Monday that the health of an Israeli captive in Gaza has deteriorated.

In a short tweet, Abu Obaida, the spokesman of al-Qassam brigades, said that "the health condition of one of our Israeli hostages has deteriorated", without giving further details.

However, he says, that the armed movement will publish evidence in the upcoming hours.

Palestinian prisoners call for factions to secure their release in Israel talks - on

— al whit🍉 (@soitiz)

Israeli media reported that it seems that Hamas aims, through its announcement, to pressure Israeli within the framework of negotiations for a prisoner swap deal.

Officially, Israel claims that Hamas holds the remains of Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, two soldiers who were killed in Gaza during Israel's military offensive in 2014, as well as two civilians who are believed to be alive, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed.

Hamas denies progress on prisoner swap deal with Israel - on

— al whit🍉 (@soitiz)

In 2016, the military wing of Hamas announced for the first time that it holds four Israeli soldiers in captivity, without specifying their fate.

Since then Israel and Hamas have been involved in direct negotiations under Egyptian, Qatari and UN brokering to reach a prisoner swap deal.

In 2011, Hamas and Israel implemented the first prisoner swap deal in which Israel release more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in return for the freeing of captive soldier Gilad Shalit.

However, the Israeli army rearrested some activists soon after their release during the swap deal.

Hamas, which controls the Strip, said many times that Israel must release dozens of prisoners who were rearrested as a precondition for further deals.