In a proposal presented to Israel’s Security Cabinet by the Egyptian team responsible for negotiating the release of captive soldier Gilad Shalit, the Israelis will release 20 female Palestinian security prisoners in exchange for a recently recorded videotape of Shalit.
The one-minute video will give Israel “updated and unequivocal proof” that Shalit is alive and well, according to the Prime Minister’s office. The prisoner release and the handing-over of the videotape are set to occur Friday, Oct. 2, according to reports.
Shalit has been held for more than three years by Hamas, most of the time in Gaza. All but one of the Palestinian women to be released are from the West Bank and none were directly involved in the killing of Israelis, according to reports.
“The Security Cabinet decided to respond to the Egyptian initiative as a confidence-building measure in the framework of the indirect negotiations,” said a statement from the Prime Minister’s office. — jta