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Hamas leader insists on prisoner swap for Israeli soldierPalestinian sources: Airstrike kills 2 militants in Gaza
 Hamas political leader Khalid Meshaal says captured Israeli Cpl. Gilad Shalit won't be harmed. YOUR E-MAIL ALERTSDAMASCUS, Syria (CNN) -- As Israeli airstrikes continued Monday in Gaza, a Hamas political leader said the Palestinian people won't accept the release of an Israeli soldier until the Jewish state agrees to free Palestinian prisoners. "This is not a Hamas position; it is the position of the Palestinian people," said Khalid Meshaal, an exiled Hamas political leader during a rare news conference in the Syrian capital, Damascus. Israel, which began military operations in Gaza after Cpl. Gilad Shalit's capture two weeks ago, has rejected previous calls for prisoner exchanges for the soldier, saying they only would encourage more kidnappings. Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza have been at a standoff since militants captured Shalit in a June 25 cross-border raid into southern Israel. Hamas has said the 19-year-old soldier is alive and in good condition. On Monday, an attack by an Israeli drone killed two members of the militant group Islamic Jihad's military wing, Palestinian security sources said, as they rode in a vehicle east of Khan Yunis. No other details were available, and Israel had no response to the report. In other action Monday in Gaza, an Israeli airstrike killed one person near the Karni crossing, Palestinian security sources said. The Israel Defense Forces said a strike was launched on a gunman near a border security fence close to the crossing. Meshaal said the international community "sees the picture only through the eye of a soldier," who the Hamas leader said was captured in a military operation "while ignoring 10,000 Palestinian prisoners" in Israeli prisons. "It is the Palestinian consensus there will be no release of the prisoner until our prisoners are released," Meshaal said. "The human aspect of the Palestinian suffering is being ignored." But he said Shalit would not be harmed because the Palestinians will maintain their principles, which require "we preserve his life and treat him well." Israel: Operations to continueIsrael has steadfastly refused to negotiate for Shalit's release. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Monday that Israel's military operations in Gaza will continue until Shalit is freed and the Palestinians stop firing rockets into Israel. (Watch Israel's prime minister explain why its troops are in Gaza again -- 4:12) "It will continue in places, in time, in different measures that will suit the purposes that were outlined," Olmert said, speaking at a Foreign Press Association conference. The prime minister rejected the European Union's suggestion that Israel was using disproportionate force to respond to rocket attacks that have continued since Israel's military pullout from the territory in September. "When was the last time that the European Union condemned this shooting and suggested effective measures to stop it?" Olmert asked. He said Palestinian militants had fired rockets into Israel every day since the military pullout. "The response was terror and terror and terror and terror again," Olmert said. But Meshaal said the Palestinians would continue to fire rockets because they are "an expression of our will to stand firm and preserve Palestinian rights." Meshaal said that mediators from Egypt and Qatar had been trying to find a peaceful way to end the crisis, and he blamed Israel for their failure. "All their efforts have been blocked by the Israeli obstacle," he said. "The prisoners' fate is on the top of our agenda," Meshaal said. "We are not interested in escalation. We want a peaceful resolution to this crisis, but you must understand the needs of the Palestinian people." Israel rejected a weekend cease-fire offer by Palestinian leader Ismael Haniya. "The IDF will continue to act with determination against terrorist organizations and terror infrastructure in order to create the conditions for the return of Cpl. Gilad Shalit and to stop terror attacks and the launching of rockets toward Israel," a military statement said Sunday. Israeli forces remain stationed in parts of Gaza's eastern region and in the south, where they are focused on the airport and other vacant buildings that are potential militant hideouts. Palestinian medical sources said Sunday about 50 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since June 25 and about 175 were wounded. Israel has said its operations have targeted militants. Three militant groups claimed responsibility for Shalit's abduction -- including the Hamas military wing Izzedine al Qassam, the Popular Resistance Committees and the Army of Islam. Hamas does not recognize Israel's right to exist. Its military wing has carried out deadly attacks on Israeli civilians as well as military targets. The Hamas-led Palestinian Authority government called on its security forces last week to join the fight against the Israeli military in Gaza. 
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