Asia-Pacific

Israel agrees to swap 1st 400 prisoners for captured soldier

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-12-01 22:41

GAZA: A senior Hamas movement's official revealed Tuesday that Israel has agreed to free 400 Palestinian prisoners in the first stage for the release of captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in Gaza.

Hamas and Israel have been holding indirect talks through Germany and Egypt to finalize the prisoners' swap deal that exchange around 1,000 prisoners for the Israeli corporal who was captured by Gaza militants in June 2006.

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Hamas has demanded the release of 1,000 Palestinian prisoners to be freed in two stages, with 450 prisoners with lengthy sentences for the first stage when the movement hands Shalit to the Egyptian side, and the rest 550 in the second stage when Shalit arrives in Israel.

The Hamas official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Israel still rejects to release three female prisoners, saying the three women were involved in planning for deadly attacks that killed dozens of Israelis.

The official told the London-based Saudi Arabian daily of al- Hayat that among the 50 names that Israel still refuses to include in the list are Marwan al-Barghouti, a senior Fatah movement leader, Ahmed Sadat, leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), and five senior Hamas militants and political leaders.

The official also said that the two sides are negotiating the release of Arab prisoners, and a breakthrough was made in the talks of freeing prisoners from East Jerusalem.

He added that Israel agreed to include 17 prisoners, residents of East Jerusalem, into the list, and agreed to expel 10 of them out of the country.

He noted that the two sides are still disagreeing on the number of the deported prisoners. Israel said it wants to deport 130 prisoners out of the 450 it wants to free in the first stage after Shalit is released.

"Hamas opposed the deportation of such a big number of prisoners," said the official, adding that "Hamas is seeking to reduce the number through the indirect negotiations."

The official said that the negotiations are going on intensively, and the German mediator is permanently present in the region to finalize the deal between the two sides.