Senior officials in the Prime Minister's Office vehemently denied reports
of a breakthrough in the prisoner exchange negotiations between Hamas
and Israel, calling them a "Palestinian spin".
Following Egyptian-mediated talks conducted over the past few days, Hamas was asked to relay an alternate list of 125 Palestinian prisoners it wants Israel
to release in exchange for IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, this in addition to the 325 prisoners Israel has already agreed to free. Sources in Jerusalem said Israel has yet to receive the new list.
Israel asked for the alternate list after refusing to release 125 prisoners on the original list submitted by Hamas.
"We’ve been informed by the Egyptian mediator that the negotiations will be resumed only after Hamas submits the new list for Israel's approval," an official in the PM's Office said.
In recent days Israel has authorized senior Hamas figures imprisoned in Israel, including arch-terrorists, to meet with one another in order to formulate the list of 125 names. According to Palestinian sources, Israel hopes an alternate list drafted by the Hamas prisoners will pressure the Islamist group's leadership in Gaza and Damascus to complete its own list.
Despite the recent visit to Israel of an Egyptian mediator and the efforts to seal a prisoner swap before Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's term concludes, the talks appear to be deadlocked.
Gilad Shalit was kidnapped into Gaza 1,005 days ago.
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