Hamas: No secret terms in Shalit deal

Hamas official Izzat al-Rishiq on Monday denied media reports which claimed there were secret terms within the recent prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel. “These reports are fabricated reports made to undermine the deal and conceal the fact that Israel yielded to Hamas and the Palestinian resistance making unprecedented concessions,” he said in a statement. Al-Rishiq also said Hamas would not seek to move its offices from Damascus. In September, Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahhar had said that several possibilities were being considered in light of the security situation in Syria, which is "dangerous for all Palestinians -- not just for Hamas." The relationship between Hamas and Iran is strong and firm, al-Rishiq added in the statement, and Hamas leaders took part in a conference in Tehran this month to commemorate the Palestinian intifada. The senior Hamas leader said he was disappointed with accusations that the movement did not do enough to secure the release of detained Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti within the prisoner exchange. “The deal was delayed because we insisted on the release of senior leaders such as Barghouti and (Popular Front secretary-general) Ahmad Saadat,” he said.