Report: Israeli officials meet jailed Hamas prisoners to discuss swap

Source: Xinhua | 03-24-2009 09:42

RAMALLAH, March 23 (Xinhua) -- Israeli officials met Hamas prisoners over the past couple of days to discuss achieving a prisoners exchange deal that secures the release of a captive Israeli soldier in Gaza Strip, a Palestinian news agency reported on Monday.

According to the Bethlehem-based Maan news agency, Israel transferred jailed Hamas representatives to Hadarim prison where they met Ofer Dekel, Israeli government's chief negotiator for Gilad Shalit's talks.

Maan said Dekel and Hamas leaders met at least three times recently.

Maan also said that the latest report annuls earlier news that jailed Hamas leaders have asked Israel to allow them meet each other and that the meetings was held at the Negev prison.

"The fact is different. The new details that Maan got showed that it the Israeli occupation's chiefs asked to meet with Hamas leaders," the local news agency reported today.

Hamas kidnapped Gilad Shalit in 2006 and demanded to exchange him for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas presented a list of 450 names and insisted that Israel must free all of them for the swap, but the Jewish state has reservations on a number of those prisoners; a matter that prevented the Egyptian-mediated negotiations from going ahead.

Editor:Shi Taoyang