Hamas Sees Progress in Talks for Release of Gilad Shalit

By Jack Khoury (Haaretz) August 10, 2011

Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk believes that internal pressure in Israel and changes in the composition of the Israeli negotiating team will lead to positive movement toward reaching a prisoner exchange deal that will include the release of captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.

In an interview with the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper, Abu Marzouk, the deputy head of Hamas’ political bureau, said that Islamic movement is interested in completing a prisoner exchange agreement but emphasized that Hamas’ position on the terms of a deal have not changed.

According to the Al-Hayat report, the head of Hamas’ military wing Ahmed al-Jabari left Cairo on Monday and returned to the Gaza Strip after a visit during which he met with Abu Marzouk and Egyptian intelligence officials responsible for mediating the Shalit deal.

For more, go to Haaretz.com

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