Report: 125 “heavy” prisoners... sticking point for swap talks

A report from the "Israeli" news site Ynet reported Wednesday that the release of captured "Israeli" soldier Gilad Shalit for 1,000 Palestinian prisoners is snagged over the names of 125 leading Palestinian figures that "Israel" is refusing to include in the deal.

The report quoted Hamas official Osama Al-Muzaini, charged in part with ironing out a swap deal through Egyptian and German mediators, as saying both sides were making "efforts to remove the remaining obstacles," but noting also that Hamas would not agree to a release that did not include the 125.

The swap proposed by Hamas and Gaza factions has a list of 450 prisoners that must be released, including women, children, long-term prisoners, political leaders from a variety of factions and members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). An additional 550 Palestinians would also be released.

The official reiterated to the "Israeli" news service that there were "no developments at this time," though "Israeli" negotiators expected movement on the swap issue following the release of a one-minute video of Shalit last month. The video was transferred to "Israeli" officials pending the release of 20 women prisoners.