Hamas is awaiting Israel's response to the latest deal proposed by the organization for captured IDF soldier Cpl Gilad Shalit's release, the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper reported on Friday. Reportedly, the Hamas leadership has withdrawn its demand that concurrent with Shalit's release, Palestinian security prisoners would be immediately released by Israel. Instead, Hamas is said to be willing to free Shalit, and wait two months for Israel to release some 1000 prisoners.
Al-Hayat claimed that Hamas leader-in-exile Khaled Mashaal was expected to hear Israel's response to the proposal when he travels from Damascus to Cairo next week to meet with head of Egyptian intelligence Omar Suleiman. Moussa Abu Marzouk, a top Hamas official, denied the report. "There is no official invitation to Cairo. There is no one heading to Cairo now," he told The Associated Press. |