Ibrahim mediated dual nationals, wounded Palestinians evacuation from Gaza

Former General Security chief Abbas Ibrahim said he played a role in a deal that allowed hundreds of foreign nationals and dozens of seriously injured Palestinians to leave Gaza after more than three weeks under siege.

Ibrahim told ad-Diyar newspaper, in remarks published Friday, that the lawyers of dual passport holders in Gaza had contacted him to help these dual nationals leave Gaza as Hamas asked in return for allowing wounded civilians to get hospitalized in Egypt.

Ibrahim claimed he held talks with American officials who accepted the deal that later allowed hundreds of Palestinian Americans and Palestinians with other foreign passports to leave Gaza and dozens of wounded Palestinian civilians to cross Rafah for treatment in Egypt.

The former General Security chief also said that U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein who has recently visited Beirut, had contacted him on the second day of war on Gaza and asked him to make efforts to try to keep Lebanon out of the Israel-Hamas war.

Ibrahim had recently said that he is playing a role in the hostage situation and that he is in contact with Hamas and U.S. officials. He met with Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Qatar but told ad-Diyar that the meeting had nothing to do with the prisoner swap. Ibrahim had negotiated hostage cases in the past.