Hamas, Israel exchange views over prisoner swap

GAZA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Israel and Hamas are exchanging views through the German and Egyptian mediators over a prisoner exchange deal, as talks between the two sides are intensifying, a source close to Hamas told Xinhua.

"The coming hours are decisive" to overcome obstacles that prevent the prisoner swap, the source said.

The source said he expected that a final decision on the prisoner exchange would be clear by the end of this week.

The German mediator, currently in Israel, is expected to arrive in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip to hear Hamas' final response to undeclared results of discussions inside the Israeli government.

After receiving the Israeli response through the mediators, Hamas officials would meet to make their final decision, the source said.

Israel Radio reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had given the go-ahead to the swap. Israel has been rejecting to free some of the prisoners Hamas demanded because it considers them a threat to Israeli security.

It has been unknown whether Israel would release what it calls dangerous prisoners or exile them outside the Palestinian territories.

Hamas wants Israel to free up to 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Hamas presented a list of 450 names in Israeli prison, but Israel has raised reservations on tens of the names.

Earlier, Osama Hamdan, a Hamas leader based in Beirut, said his movement refuses to deport any prisoner outside the Palestinian territories in the swap.