<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>Hamas demands the release of three top Palestinian leaders in any hostage swap deal with Israel, according to Israeli media on Thursday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Hamas insists Marwan Barghouti, Ahmed Saadat and Abdullah Barghouti be on the list of prisoners to be released in any new deal, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported.</div><div><br></div><div>Barghouti, 64, a member of Fatah’s Central Committee, is most favored to chair the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority after President Mahmoud Abbas, according to Palestinian opinion polls.</div><div><br></div><div>He was arrested by Israel in 2002 and slapped with five life sentences.</div><div><br></div><div>Barghouti “can change the face of the Palestinian Authority,” the newspaper said.</div><div><br></div><div>Saadat, Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), was arrested in 2008 and slapped with a 30-year jail term in connection with the killing of Israeli Tourism Minister Rehavam Ze'evi in 2001.</div><div><br></div><div>Abdullah Barghouti is a top Hamas leader and was slapped with multiple life sentences for a spate of attacks against Israelis.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel refused to include the three leaders in a previous prisoner exchange deal with Hamas in 2011, which saw the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in return for over 1,000 Palestinian detainees.</div><div><br></div><div>There was no immediate comment from the Israeli government on the report.</div><div><br></div><div>Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh arrived in Cairo on Wednesday amid Egyptian efforts to mediate a new hostage swap deal between the Palestinian group and Israel.</div><div><br></div><div>During a week-long humanitarian pause in Gaza last month, Hamas released 81 Israelis and 24 foreigners in exchange for 240 Palestinians, including 71 women and 169 children.</div><div><br></div><div>Nearly 130 Israelis are held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip following its cross-border attack on Oct. 7.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since the Hamas attack, killing nearly 20,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 52,586, according to health authorities in the enclave. - Anadolu Agency&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>