JERUSALEM, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- Israel would be willing to exchange 1,000 prisoners for captured soldier Gilad Shalit, a senior source told Haaretz.
The source said that Israel informed Omar Suleiman, head of Egypt's intelligence service, that it was willing to free both women and children and adult male prisoners. Suleiman met with Israeli officials last week.
"We agreed to release several hundred women and children, mostly the young among them," the source said. "We have also agreed to release several hundred Palestinian prisoners, among them prisoners sentenced to many years in prison."
Shalit was captured last summer in Gaza.
Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and exiled Hamas political bureau chief Khaled Meshal were scheduled to meet Monday in Damascus. Israeli officials hope that those talks will assist negotiations.
Most recently, Israel had offered to set 300 Palestinians free, while Hamas demanded 1,400.
On Tuesday, Gideon Ezra, a member of the Cabinet and former head of the intelligence agency Shin Bet, suggested freeing Fatah-Tanzim leader Marwan Barghouti. He argued that would make Fatah stronger.
