Hamas dismisses Russian pressure to free Israeli

Hamas dismissed on Wednesday Russian pressure to release an Israeli soldier and said he will not be set free without an "honorable" prisoner exchange deal.

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev on Tuesday asked Khaled Mashaal, the exiled leader of the Palestinian Islamist movement, to quickly resolve the issue of Gilad Shalit, who was captured im 2006 by Hamas militants who tunnelled into Israel from Gaza. (Reuters)