Egypt on Monday will broker a new round of indirect negotiations on a prisoner swap between Israel and the Palestinian faction Hamas, according to Arab press reports.
Egypt has been mediating the negotiations since 2009, but the process has not yet been successful.
The deal would involve the release of hundreds of Palestinian detainees in Israel in return for freeing Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who has been held hostage by Hamas since 2006.
In 2009, Shalit was close to being released, but negotiations failed due to disagreements over the identities of Palestinian detainees and where they should be released. Israel insisted on excluding individuals who took part in attacks on its territories.
London-based Al-Hayat newspaper said the first session of these indirect talks was held late last week in Egypt, when Egyptian officials and representatives of the Israeli and Palestinian sides met.
A senior Egyptian source told the newspaper that nothing can yet be said about breaches made to the negotiations. The source hoped both parties will be flexible enough to accomplish a deal, adding that Hamas insists on reaching a resolution based on fair terms.
Informed sources predicted the talks will be held at the General Intelligence Services’ headquarters. They said it was too early to speak about a tangible progress but pointed to positive signs.
The sources added that a deal can be reached quickly if both sides have a genuine will.
