Special Reports: Palestine-Israel Conflicts >>
A senior Hamas official Monday ruled out a swap of prisoners between Israel and his Islamic movement soon.
"The progress in the negotiations did not reach the level of setting dates for the swap," the official told Xinhua, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Israeli reports expected that Gilad Shalit, the Israeli Corporal held by Hamas, might be freed Friday as German and Egyptian mediators had overcome several obstacles between the two parties. Hamas demands Israel to free at least 1,000 Palestinian and Arab prisoners.
The source refused to reveal the obstacles he said were overcome, but said talks are still tackling "technical matters delaying the triumph of the exchange."
The technical matters involve the number of prisoners who would be exiled outside the Palestinian territories and the issue of Palestinians who also hold Israeli IDs and live inside Israel, according to the source.
On Saturday, Hamas spokesman Ayman Taha said a delegation from his movement will head for Cairo to discuss the swap with Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman.
In its first phase, the swap would include the release of 450 prisoners serving high sentences once Shalit is handed to the Egyptian mediators. The rest of the prisoners would be freed when the soldier arrives in Israel.
Gilad Shalit was captured by Gaza militants in a cross-border raid near the Gaza Strip in June 2006.