Egypt Calls On Hamas To Release Israeli Soldier
Joseph S. Mayton - All Headline News Middle East Correspondent Beirut, Lebanon (AHN) - In a letter from Egypt's intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, Cairo demanded that Hamas release the captured Israeli soldier in Gaza. The "strongly worded letter" was sent to Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal in Syria. Hamas officials in Damascus told The Associated Press that the letter is being reviewed. "The leadership has received the Egyptian letter today and is studying it," a Hamas official close to Meshaal told AP. Egypt has been a leading mediator in trying to achieve a prisoner swap for Col. Gilad Shalit, who was kidnapped on June 25 just outside the Gaza Strip by Palestinian militants. The abduction caused a military offensive by Israel. Only days later, Hezbollah fighters abducted two Israel soldiers in a northern Israel raid that sparked a 34-day war between the Shiite group and Israel that ended on August 14. The letter also demanded Hamas' full cooperation in forming a national unity government, which has been stalled by Hamas' refusal to form an administration that recognizes the state of Israel.
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