Ami Ayalon, the former head of Israel’s Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency, has called for the release of Israeli captives held in the Gaza Strip in exchange for all Palestinian prisoners, Al Jazeera reports.

Currently, there are about 7,000 Palestinians imprisoned in Israeli jails, including 200 children and 62 women.

According to Israeli daily Haaretz, Ayalon said that Marwan Barghouti, a Fatah leader who has been imprisoned for more than 20 years, is the only one who can lead the Palestinians after the conflict ends.

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