Palestinian official says prisoners' swap with Israel "very soon"

Mohamed al-Madhoun, Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haneya's chief of staff revealed on Friday that a Palestinian prisoners' swap would be reached with Israel very soon.

On June 25, al-Qassam Brigades, armed wing of the governing Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and two minor Palestinian militia groups captured Israeli corporal Gilad Shalit and asked for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

Following the incident, Israeli army troops have launched massive military offensive in the Gaza Strip, destroying the main Gaza power plant, the major bridges and shutting down all crossings and terminals between Gaza and Israel.

"The crisis is almost over, and Shalit will be released in exchange of a number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails that Hamas had demanded them to be freed," said al-Madhoun.

Various Hamas media sources had earlier confirmed the reports that the prisoners' swap would be reached soon under Egypt's sponsorship.

The Hamas sources said that the movement's Politburo Chief Khaled Mesha'al would head to Cairo soon to witness the final arrangements for succeeding the prisoners' swap.

Source: Xinhua