Israel thwarts deal to release prisoners in exchange for Shalit

Gaza-Palestine Youth News

Israel frustrated a deal with Hamas to exchange captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit for Palestinian prisoners 14 weeks ago, Israeli Television's Channel 2 reported on Tuesday.

The deal which was negotiated through Egyptian mediation involved exchanging Shalit for 350 Palestinian prisoners.

The TV channel added that Israel insisted that only 40 of the names on the list of Palestinian prisoners could be released, which resulted in the failure of the deal. Channel 2 reported that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office had admitted that there was such a deal but said that some of the names on the list of Palestinian prisoners had "blood on their hands."

Twenty-one-year-old Corporal Shalit was captured on the 25th of June 2006 and is currently in the custody of Hamas, the Popular Resistance Committees and the Army of Islam.