Report: Israel and Hamas Meet To Discuss Gilad Shalit
Israeli and Hamas officials are due to meet in Cairo on Monday for a second round of indirect talks aimed at securing a deal on abducted Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit, the London-based Arab daily Al-Hayat reported.
According to the report, the first round of talks took place last week. Senior Hamas official Ahmed al-Ja’abari, head of Hamas’ military wing, is representing the Hamas side in the negotiations, while David Meidan, the new Israeli negotiator in Shalit swap talks, represents the Israeli negotiating team. Egyptian intelligence officials have been mediating between the two parties.
A senior Egyptian source told Al-Hayat that there is no breakthrough in negotiations as of yet, but expressed his hope that the talks will lead to progress.
He also said that Hamas is determined to reach a deal in the near future. The Egyptian official said that Ahmed al-Ja’abari received the okay from the Hamas political wing in Damascus to lead the talks on Shalit.
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