Israel OKs 450-prisoner swap for Shalit

JERUSALEM, Sept. 25 (UPI) -- Israel has submitted the names of 450 Palestinian prisoners to be freed in exchange for kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit, Israeli officials say.

Negotiations, however, are currently frozen as Hamas is refusing to cooperate with Egypt, which is mediating the talks, Ynetnews reported.

Shalit has been a captive for two years.

The Ramon committee, handling Israel's part of the negotiations, amended the criteria determining which prisoners "have blood on their hands," making them ineligible for release.

The objective was to release as many prisoners as possible from Hamas' list without compromising national security.