Israeli Negotiator for Return of Hamas Captives Quits

The Israeli official charged with negotiating the return of Israelis held captive in Gaza by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas has resigned, a statement said Friday.

Lior Lotan's role was to seek the return of five Israelis from the Gaza Strip, including the bodies of two former soldiers killed during the last war between Israel and Hamas.

The resignation of Lotan, a lawyer and former army colonel, was interpreted by Israeli commentators as a sign of his frustration at the lack of progress.

Lotan was mandated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with seeking the return of three Israeli citizens, as well as the bodies of Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin -- two soldiers believed to have been killed in the 2014 war in Gaza.

"During my mission, I was confronted with the cruelty and cynicism of Hamas," Lotan said, quoted in a statement from the prime minister's office.

Netanyahu said in the statement he would continue to "do all he can to bring back the prisoners," and appointed his military secretary to take up the matter.

Hamas is believed to have held Hisham al-Sayed and Avraham Mengistu since April 2015 and September 2014, respectively, after they sneaked into the blockaded Palestinian enclave.

Human Rights Watch said both men suffered from mental disorders and has demanded Hamas return them.

A fifth man, Juma Abu Ghanima, entered Gaza illegally, but it is unclear if he is being detained or has joined a militant group.

Gaza is sealed off by Israeli barriers and the Jewish state bans its nationals from entering for security reasons.

Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008.

Hamas has also previously suggested Shaul and Goldin are alive, but has provided no evidence for this and Israel considers them dead.

In 2011 Israel freed more than a thousand Palestinian prisoners in exchange for an Israeli soldier who had been held captive for five years.

The army is a venerated institution in Israel, where conscription is compulsory for most citizens, and the return of the bodies is a key issue for politicians.