Israeli soldiers 'major bargaining chip' for Hamas as negotiations continue Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh said on Wednesday the Islamist group was showing flexibility in negotiations with Israel over the Gaza war, but at the same time was ready to continue fighting. Both sides have delegations in Qatar this week hammering out details, but there are major disagreements on which Israeli hostages would be released first. While Israeli media reports that Israelis want female soldiers to be among the first, Hamas "see all soldiers as major bargaining chips", says FRANCE 24 correspondent Andrew Hilliar.