Waiting for Hamas' answer: Hamas has been given until the beginning of September to approve a reported deal on a Gilad Shalit prisoner swap, German weekly Der Spiegel reported Saturday.
According to the report, the swap mediated by Germany's foreign intelligence service will see Israel release 450 Palestinian prisoners in the first phase of the deal.
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| Palestinian paper says Shalit deal finalized / Ali Waked |
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Prisoner swap's details have been finalized, sides await Netanyahu government's approval, Palestinian newspaper al-Manar reports; Shalit expected to be transferred to Egypt in first phase of deal |
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The latest report contradicts earlier Palestinian reports claiming the deal was awaiting Israel's endorsement. According to the German report, Hamas is in fact facing a three-day ultimatum to respond to the proposal.
Der Spiegel reported that the German negotiator involved in the efforts to free Shalit has been activated at Israel's explicit request. The negotiator has been commuting since mid-July as part of negotiations on Shalit's release, the report says
The German weekly also says Israel has expressed its willingness to free even more Palestinian prisoners after Shalit's return home. However, Jerusalem was seeking to present the additional release as a humanitarian gesture unbound by a timetable, rather than a part of the Shalit deal.
Earlier Saturday, Palestinian newspaper al-Manar reported that a Shalit swap agreement has been finalized and now hinges on Israel's approval. According to the Palestinian report, Shalit will be handed over to Egypt in the first phase of the deal, after Palestinian prisoners are released from Israeli jails.
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