By Xinhua,
Gaza : A senior Islamic Hamas movement leader denied on Tuesday that a progress was made in the indirect talks with Israel to exchange Palestinian prisoners for a captured Israeli soldier in Gaza.
“So far, nothing has been changed and the situation is as it is,” Osama al-Mzeini, a senior Hamas leader who is well-informed told reporters in response to earlier reports that a progress of prisoners swap has been made.
Israeli corporal Gilad Shalit was captured by Hamas movement’s armed wing and two other armed groups in Gaza in an attack on an Israeli army base on the border between Israel and southeastern Gaza Strip in June 2006.
Egypt has been mediating between Israel and Hamas movement to release Shalit for releasing several hundred Palestinian prisoners in addition to women, children, aged and sick prisoners from Israeli jails.
“Hamas movement has presented a list prisoners it wants to free, but Israel has rejected to release all of them and has only agreed on a few number of them,” said al-Mzeini.
Hamas has also rejected to include the issue of the soldier Shalit in a ceasefire deal with Israel. It said the two issues are separate. So far, no progress was announced in both issues.