The Lebanon based Hezbollah party, holding two Israeli soldiers
captive, offered information of the two captured Israeli soldiers, Ehud
Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, in exchange for the release of Sameer
Quntar, a Lebanese detainee held in Israel since 1979.
An Israeli source reported on Wednesday that Israel rejected the offer especially since it does not have any information on the fate of the two soldiers.
Also, Israeli sources reported that Hezbollah representatives with German mediators proposed several weeks ago providing Israel with information on the two soldiers in exchange of releasing Quntar who was supposed to be released in latest prison swap deal along with other detainees. Quntar was arrested by Israel on April 22, 1979.
Meanwhile, Israeli sources reported that a military committee that examined the site were the two soldiers were abducted, found out that the two were seriously injured and needed medical care, which increased the Israeli suspicions that the two are no longer among the living.
On Tuesday, Olmert said during a meeting with the Foreign and Security Committee at the Knesset that “it is still early to determine that the two soldiers are dead or alive”. But later on, he stated during a tour in Keryat Malachi, Israel is working under the assumption that the two soldiers are alive, but Israel does not have any solid information.
