Gaza: Whenever a new conflict arises between Israel and Hamas, the issue of prisoner exchange resurfaces.
Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was seized in June 2006 by three Palestinian factions from the boarders of the Gaza Strip during the first year of Hamas' rule in Gaza.
Since then, Israel has made many attempts to secure his release through other issues. For example, it was a condition upon which food, electricity and the end of the war in Gaza in January of 2009 depended.
Israel is hoping to gain as much as possible from the flotilla without losing any more ground. This could mean allowing the flotilla's entry to Gaza on condition of Shalit's release.
"The Israeli state is pressuring all parties and trying to take advantage of the besieged Gaza Strip to get as many political and economic benefits it can reach no matter how cruel and unjust that can be," said political analyst, Hassan Awad.
Sami Abu Zuhri, the spokesman of the Hamas movement, said: "This is political nonsense... the Israeli occupation is trying to scare both the Gazans and the foreign volunteers, but we are sure this won't happen."
According to Saeb Abu Sharek, head of Waed association for Palestinian prisoners in the Israeli jails: "Gilad Shalit's situation is different than what Israel tries to show to the world. He was seized during military actions in the boarder between Gaza and Israel and there must be an exchange deal for both sides."
One of the scenarios that Yediot Ahronot, an Israeli daily newspaper, presented claimed that the Israeli navy is prepared to take action against these ships to Gaza and pull them to Ishdod port in Israel where they can seize the passengers and take over the aid.
This will put them in conflict with over than 40 countries, mainly Turkey, which is already politically at odds with Israel after the war on Gaza last year and the behaviour of Israel's deuputy foreign minister toward the Turkish ambassador in Tel Aviv. Awad believes it is a lost situation for the Israeli government. He said that "if the ships entered Gaza that means they break the siege and if they didn't they will have big diplomatic problems with many parties around the world".
