Hamas has handed over to Israel a new prisoner list as part of the efforts to complete a swap for captured Israeli occupation soldier Gilad Shalit, Fox News reported Thursday, adding that such deal is nearing completion. According to the report, the new list includes 70 news names aimed at replacing 70 detainees that Israel strongly objects to releasing.


A source involved in the swap talks told Fox News that Israel informed the German mediator that the 70 prisoners in dispute will not be released under any circumstances, even if it means Shalit will remain in captivity. According to the source, the new list submitted by Hamas will be examined in the near future by Israel's negotiation team.

On Thursday, Palestinian sources told Ynet that according to recent indications, the efforts to finalize a swap have seen major progress, and that the deal may be completed by year's end.
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