CAIRO: Egypt and Israel are adding the "final touches" to a deal to swap an Israel-American detained in Cairo for a group of Egyptian prisoners and children, the official MENA news agency said on Saturday. "MENA has learned that the final touches are currently being made for a deal to swap Israeli spy Ilan Grapel, …
CAIRO: Egypt said on Thursday it was preparing to swap US-Israeli dual national Ilan Grapel, who was detained in June on spying charges, for Egyptian prisoners held in Israel. Grapel, 27, was arrested in Egypt on accusations he was a spy out to recruit agents and monitor events in the revolt that overthrew President Hosni …
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip: The release of an Israeli soldier by Hamas as part of a prisoner exchange with Israel is reshaping complex regional ties, mostly in favor of Gaza’s once isolated Islamic militant rulers. The swap, mediated by Egypt, has strengthened Hamas’ bond with the regional powerhouse next door and removed a major irritant …
By Robi Damelin TEL AVIV: The whole country is talking about it: over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, many of whom were involved in suicide attacks in which lives were lost, were freed in exchange for the kidnapped Israeli solider Gilad Shalit who had been held in captivity in Gaza for over five years. Today the prisoner’s swap …
JERUSALEM: Freed Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and 477 Palestinians on Wednesday tasted their first full days of freedom, with both sides mulling their gains — and losses — after the landmark prisoner swap. Tuesday marked the successful completion of the first stage of a complex prisoner exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas which saw Shalit …
DOHA: Fifteen Palestinian prisoners released as part of a swap deal that saw Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit freed from five years of Hamas captivity arrived in the Qatari capital on Wednesday, an official said. The freed prisoners landed in Doha on a specially chartered Qatari airplane at 3 am (0000 GMT) and were greeted by …
CAIRO: Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf on Tuesday hailed a prisoner swap deal between Israel and the Palestinians, and mediated by Cairo, saying it was part of efforts to boost regional stability. Sharaf "stressed that Egypt’s efforts, which contributed to the success of the prisoner exchange deal, come as part of (its) support of efforts …
RAFAH, Egypt/MITZPE HILA, Israel: More than 450 Palestinian prisoners were freed Tuesday, as Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, in Hamas captivity for five years, arrived in his hometown in North Israel. Four-hundred and seventy-seven Palestinians were transferred from Israeli prisons to the West Bank and Gaza, where massive celebratory rallies festooned with green Hamas flags were …
CAIRO: Experts disagreed on whether mediating the prisoner swap between Israel and Hamas will bolster the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces’ (SCAF) image in and outside of Egypt. Analyst Emad Gad told Daily News Egypt that mediating the prisoner swap deal is an achievement for the Egyptian intelligence not SCAF. Gad said that the …
GAZA CITY: Tens of thousands of flag-waving Palestinians celebrated the homecoming Tuesday of hundreds of prisoners exchanged for an Israeli soldier, with the crowd exhorting militants to seize more soldiers for future swaps. Hamas, which had negotiated the release, organized the celebration that turned into a show of strength for the Islamic militant movement that …
RAFAH/CAIRO: Busloads of Palestinian prisoners arrived at the Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Egyptian television showed the first images of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, released under a swap deal. Gilad Shalit, who was freed on Tuesday after five years in detention by Palestinian militants, said he hoped the prisoner swap in which he was …
CAIRO: Egypt expects to swap US-Israeli dual national Ilan Grapel, detained in June on spying charges, for Egyptian prisoners held in Israel, an Egyptian security source said on Monday. The swap would take place after Israel completes a separate prisoner exchange with Hamas involving Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, but the two cases are not linked, …
