Israelis and Palestinians were on Monday gripped by mounting speculation over a possible deal that would see the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier held by the Islamist Hamas group in the Gaza Strip.
Reports in the Israeli and Arab media suggested a deal was close and that the first stage of an exchange could be finalised by the end of the week, to coincide with the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha. Speculation over an imminent deal was further encouraged by reports that a group of senior Hamas officials had arrived in Cairo yesterday to review the latest plan for a swap, drafted with the help of Egyptian and German mediators.
