JERUSALEM, Sept. 30 -- Kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit is alive, according to a newly recorded videotape that will be provided to Israel by the Islamist Hamas movement in return for Israel's release of 20 Palestinian women prisoners, government officials said.
The videotape already has been turned over to German mediators and will be given to Israel on Friday, when the prisoners are due to be set free, according to government officials and a statement from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's office.
An Israeli government official said Wednesday the German mediators have already viewed the tape and confirmed that Shalit is alive, though no other details were being released regarding his condition or the contents of the video.
Shalit has spent more than three years in captivity since he was grabbed by Islamist militants in a cross-border raid just outside the Gaza Strip. A 19-year-old corporal at the time, his fate has been a topic of intense national debate ever since. Israel has used military action, a strict economic embargo of Gaza and numerous rounds of negotiations to try to gain his release.
The agreement to trade the 20 female prisoners for confirmation of Shalit's condition represents the most tangible step forward in the protracted negotiations over the young soldier's fate -- as well as a rare agreement between Israel and Hamas.
It comes as the Obama administration is trying to restart peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, and as Egypt is pushing for a reconciliation between Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, and its rival Fatah faction.
While Israelis have assumed that Shalit was still living -- letters and an audiotape have been delivered by Hamas on occasion -- the video was referred to by Netanyahu's office as "updated and unequivocal proof regarding the well being and status" of the young soldier. The prime minister's office said the tape had been "recently recorded."
Hamas has refused to allow visits to Shalit by organizations such as the International Red Cross.
News of the deal was released almost simultaneously Wednesday by Netanyahu's office and by Hamas in Gaza, where the announcement was made by masked representatives of the organization's paramilitary Al Qassam brigades. They said the prisoners would be freed in return for information "clarifying the fate" of Shalit.
In a statement, reported on the Jerusalem Post's Web site, Shalit's parents and family said they considered the deal a "significant achievement," and that they were "yearning to receive a first authentic proof of life from Gilad."
An Israeli government official cautioned against interpreting the deal as a sign that Shalit's release was imminent or that much progress has been made in the negotiations. Hamas is demanding the release of as many as 1,000 prisoners in exchange for Shalit, including many serving life sentences for killing Israelis.
The interim step, proposed by Egyptian officials who have helped coordinate efforts to free Shalit, was "a confidence-building measure" approved as part of the talks over his possible release, according to a statement from Netanyahu's office.
"It is not unimportant, but we have no illusions that there is a deal to bring about his release tomorrow or anytime soon," said the Israeli official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions.
According to information posted on the Israeli prison system's Web site, the Palestinians who will be freed generally had been jailed for crimes including attempted attacks on police and soldiers and possession of weapons. All were serving fairly short prison terms and were due to be released by 2011.
Shalit's release is seen as important to progress on an array of issues, particularly a relaxation of the economic restrictions that Israel tightened around Gaza after the soldier's capture.
The restrictions were stiffened further when Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007, and elevated to a virtual embargo when Israel launched a three-week war against Hamas in December.
Only food and other necessities are allowed into the Mediterranean enclave from Israel. Israeli officials have said they will not loosen the rules until Shalit is released.
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