According to a report appearing in the Egyptian-based Al-Hayat newspaper, Hamas has given Israel a list of 1,000 names, the prisoners the terror organization wishes released in exchange for the release of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.

According to the same source, Israel’s coordinator of prisoner talks Ofer Dekel handed Hamas a list of 450 terrorists approved for release, a far cry from the list presented by Hamas.

Egyptian sources report an ongoing disagreement regarding the names of prisoners to be released by Israel as Shalit this week began his third year in Hamas captivity.

In the meantime, Dekel was in Cairo again on Thursday, and sources in the Prime Minister’s Office expressed satisfaction following his return.

On the northern front, the cabinet on Sunday is expected to approve the proposed deal intended to bring about the release of soldiers Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, who were taken captive by Hizbullah on July 12, 2006.  The across-the-border attack in which they were taken captive resulted in the Second Lebanon War.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)