Cairo officials say Egypt gave Israel evidence that kidnapped soldier was alive.
By JPOST.COM STAFFshalit, gilad, 298 ap(photo credit: AP)
The editor of Palestinian affairs for the London-based Egyptian newspaper Al- Hayat said on Tuesday that its report claiming that kidnapped IDF soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit was transferred to Egypt was incorrect.
On Monday night, the paper reported that Shalit had already been transferred to Egypt as part of a deal to secure his release. According to the article, Shalit was handed over to Egypt days before in exchange for Israel's guarantee to release 800 Palestinian prisoners in three stages.
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In an interview with Palestinian-Israeli radio station Voice of Peace Mahar Othman admitted that the report on Shalit's whereabouts had been an error, and that their source in Gaza had apparently made a mistake.
Gilad's father, Noam Shalit, immediately denied the report, saying unequivocally that Gilad was not in Egypt.
Meanwhile, official sources in Cairo said that Egypt had given Israel concrete evidence Tuesday that Shalit was alive. According to the sources, he was being held in a hidden location in Gaza.
Another London-based Arab newspaper, Al-Shraq al-Awsat, reported that Egypt was pressuring Israeli mediators and Shalit's captives to reach a prisoner exchange agreement.
The newspaper claimed that an Israeli official was scheduled to arrive in Cairo for further negotiations in the following days.
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