Palestinian militants deny captive Israeli soldier transferred to Egypt

Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) spokesman in Gaza Abu Mujahed on Tuesday denied a report that a captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit had recently been transferred to Egypt to prepare for a swap with Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

The London-based Saudi Arabia newspaper Al-Hayyat had earlier reported the news, saying that Mohamed Deif, commander of Hamas military wing al-Qassam Brigades and the number one wanted to Israel, managed to leave the Gaza Strip to Egypt to hold talks with Egyptians on the issue.

"Such news had been weaved from the illusion. All what had been published is untrue," said Abu Mujahed, whose group PRC is one of the three armed wings responsible for seizing the Israeli soldier.

On June 25, al-Qassam Brigades, together with two minor militant groups, attacked an Israeli military base southeast of the Gaza Strip and killed two Israeli soldiers while kidnapping a third one.

Since then, the militant groups, led by Hamas, have been insisting that the captive soldier would only be freed if Israel frees 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, in addition to women, children, patients and prisoners with high sentences.

Abu Mujahed said that his group is still clinking to the issue of freeing the soldier at the same time with Palestinian prisoners ' release, adding "any swap linked with guarantees and promises is rejected."

Source: Xinhua