The Bethlehem-based Palestinian Authority news agency Ma'an reported Monday that chief Israeli negotiator Ofer Dekel held several meetings with jailed Hamas leaders in recent days. An earlier report claimed that the Hamas prisoners were permitted to meet and discuss their organization's ransom demands for abducted IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.
Dispensing with the Egyptian middlemen, Dekel and other officials allegedly held three direct meetings with Hamas members seen as power-brokers within Israeli jails, according to Ma'an. The meetings were aimed at continuing the negotiations for the release of Shalit, held by Hamas in Gaza since 2006.
When contacted by Israel National News, a spokesman for outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert refused to confirm the information in the Ma'an report. He offered no further comment on the matter.
Earlier this month, lengthy talks in Cairo ended with an Israeli rejection of Hamas ransom demands, including the release of dozens of terrorists convicted of particularly heinous crimes. The Olmert administration apparently agreed, however, to the release of several hundred jailed terrorists in exchange for the hostage.
Ma'an reported, citing Hamas sources, that Dekel met with 14 Hamas prisoners after they were jointly transferred to the centrally located Hadarim prison.
On Sunday, according to a related exclusive report published by the PA-based news agency, imprisoned Hamas leaders met for their own discussions of the Shalit negotiations. The meeting, held with the permission of Prison Authority officials, took place in a Negev detention facility. In attendance were members of the Palestinian Authority's Legislative Council, recently arrested Hamas terrorists, and other current and former official PA representatives.
Earlier this month, Israel's prisoner population was increased by 10 Hamas-affiliated PA officials arrested in Ramallah, Shechem, Hevron and Bethlehem. Another dozen Hamas terrorists were subsequently apprehended in other IDF raids.