Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said Israel may release more Palestinian prisoners than expected as part of a possible deal covering the release of an Israeli soldier held by Palestinians.
"The outlines of the agreement, which is not yet complete, affirm the release of the Israeli prisoner in exchange for an initial large batch of women and children and then the release of Palestinian prisoners in three batches," the state news agency MENA said, quoting Mubarak speaking on Sunday night.
"The president did not specify the number to be released but he indicated that the Israeli side had shown its willingness to release a number greater than expected," MENA said on Monday.
Three Palestinian groups holding the soldier, abducted in a June 25 raid launched from Gaza, have demanded Israel release Palestinians held in Israeli jails in a prisoner swap.
Egypt has been trying to broker a deal for the release of the soldier Gilad Shalit, whose capture triggered an Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Asking for 1,000 prisoners
The exiled political leader of Hamas, whose armed wing is one of the groups which captured Shalit, said last week there were no serious negotiations on swapping him for Palestinian prisoners.
Khaled Mashaal reiterated that the soldier would be released only as part of a prisoner exchange deal.
Egypt, a traditional mediator between Israel and the Palestinians, did not succeed in attempts to end the crisis in the first weeks after the Israeli was captured. At that stage the Palestinians were asking for 1,000 prisoners.