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Israel-Hamas Prisoner Swap Deal Awaits Hamas Decision

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has accepted a German mediator’s proposal for a prisoner swap that would see captured soldier Gilad Shalit repatriated at a cost of as many as 1,000 violent prisoners aligned with Hamas. On Monday, the mediator confirmed that Netanyahu had agreed and that Hamas has yet to signal its acceptance. Shalit was taken prisoner during a Hamas cross-border raid in 2006. The efficacy of a deal to free him has been a hotly-debated issue in Israel because of the security cost involved. While sympathy for Shalit and the Shalit family is widespread, many believe releasing so many security prisoners, many of whom have vowed to return to active terrorist ranks, is too steep a price to pay for a single soldier. The mediator confirms a statement Netanyahu made on Sunday saying he had accepted the deal, after which Hamas accused him of lying.