Israel and Hamas are holding intensive Egyptian-mediated talks behind the scenes in an attempt to finalize a prisoner exchange deal, a Palestinian website affiliated with the Islamic Jihad reported Sunday.
The report quotes the website's "commentator on Israeli affairs" as saying that an agreement securing the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit is about to be finalized and may even be executed before Eid al-Fitr – the holiday marking the end of the Islamic month of Ramadan – in about a month and a half.
The report is based on unclear information and has not been confirmed by any official sources – neither Israeli nor Palestinian.
The Palestinian commentator also claims that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Friday with Defense Minister Ehud Barak and with heads of the defense establishment in order to discuss the Shalit issue and a possible prisoner swap deal with Hamas.
According to the report, "A strategic decision was made during the meeting to end the Shalit issue and agree on most of the names which appear on the prisoner exchange list (the list submitted by Hamas)."
The report also states that Netanyahu held the discussion at the request of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who has been pressuring Israel to finalize the deal after receiving "positive signals" from Hamas.
The Palestinian report joins reports on a visit to Cairo being held these days by a Hamas delegation led by Mahmoud al-Zahar. According to these reports, the delegation's only goal is to solve the Shalit issue.
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