Hamas says talks on captive Israeli soldier frozen
Source: Reuters
By Nidal al-Mughrabi GAZA, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Negotiations aimed at freeing a captive Israeli soldier in return for the release of Palestinian prisoners in the Jewish state have been frozen for two weeks, the ruling Hamas movement said on Thursday. Hamas spokesman Ismail Rudwan said the Egyptian-brokered talks broke down after a delegation from the Islamist faction went to Cairo to discuss the issue at the end of October. He said Hamas officials learned during the trip that Israel had rejected the latest proposals for releasing Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Corporal Gilad Shalit, who was snatched by gunmen in a cross-border raid from Gaza on June 25. "There is no dialogue, no talks. Talks have stopped for about two weeks now because Israel rejected the conditions set by the factions," Rudwan said. Shalit's captors, which included the Hamas armed wing, had wanted Israel to release nearly 400 female prisoners and minors as well as another 1,000 inmates, including those who had spent a long time in Israeli jails. Israel, which refuses to comment on any negotiations over Shalit, has publicly ruled out a direct swap for the conscript but has sent a representative to talk with the Egyptians. Any deal would likely involve Palestinian prisoners being handed to President Mahmoud Abbas, a moderate, and not to Hamas. Before the Hamas delegation visited Cairo, there had been some optimism an agreement might be struck. Israel launched a major offensive in Gaza after gunmen abducted Shalit and killed two other soldiers in the raid. The assault, also aimed at stopping militant rocket fire, has killed more than 370 Palestinians, around half of them civilians, Palestinian hospital officials say. Three Israeli soldiers have been killed in the operation. Israel withdrew its army and some 8,500 Jewish settlers from Gaza last year after 38 years of occupation.
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