Israel decided today against lifting its border blockade of the Gaza Strip until Hamas agreed the release of a captured Israeli soldier, putting a longer-term ceasefire proposal by Egypt on hold.
The unanimous decision by outgoing prime minister Ehud Olmert's security cabinet raised the stakes in delicate negotiations over Hamas demands that Israel free up to 1,400 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the soldier, Gilad Shalit.
Gaza's Hamas rulers rejected linking a deal on Shalit to an Egyptian plan for an 18-month ceasefire, under which the enclave's border crossings would be opened to materials needed for reconstruction after Israel's 22-day military offensive.
The air, sea and land bombardment, which Israel launched with the declared aim of halting rocket attacks, killed more than 1,300 Palestinians, destroyed some 5,000 homes and decimated much of Gaza's infrastructure, local officials said.
"The crossings are open and will remain open to humanitarian aid," said Mr Olmert's spokesman, Mark Regev.
But he said Israel has decided that "any further widening will be dependent first on the release of Gilad Shalit," captured by Gaza militants in a cross-border raid in 2006.
Mr Regev said the security cabinet discussed the number of prisoners Israel would be willing to swap, but he declined to disclose any of the figures or names.
"The ministers understand full well the sort of price that releasing Gilad Shalit will require and I believe they are supportive," he said, adding that Amos Gilad, an Israeli envoy, was expected to return to Cairo shortly to continue the talks.
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said Hamas "had no objection" to Mr Shalit's release if Israel met its demands on Palestinian prisoners. But he insisted that Hamas would countenance no connection between the soldier and the proposed truce.
Israel has been reluctant to enter a ceasefire deal that would require it to keep Gaza's border crossings opening, arguing that doing so would only cement Hamas's hold on power.
Before the security cabinet meeting, Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit said that getting Mr Shalit back would mean the release of hundreds of prisoners. Diplomats said the deal would likely free close to 1,000 of the approximately 11,000 Palestinians held in Israeli jails, short of the number demanded by Hamas.
But an Israeli official said even if Israel and Hamas agreed on a list of prisoners, they remained at odds over where they would be sent after the swap takes place.
Reuters