Rumors, and Denials, of an Imminent Shalit Release

It remains unconfirmed, but some are beginning to take seriously Palestinian reports that Gilad Shalit's release is imminent.

Suleiman Al-Shafi reported on Israel's Channel 2 evening news that he was told by the political editor of the Palestinian news source Ma'an, a respected news outlet based in Bethlehem, that Gilad Shalit is currently being transferred from Gaza to Egypt as part of his release.

Channel 2 Correspondent Roni Daniel is more skeptical however. "Unfortunately, Israeli officials report that these rumors are baseless, and simply untrue," he said on the evening news.

Rumors continue to swirl, however. A Ma'an article reports that:

Senior Egyptian intelligence official Major General Muhammad Ibrahim travelled to Tel Aviv for urgent and unannounced talks on Tuesday regarding a Hamas-Israel prisoner swap and the Rafah border.

Ma'an also cites an "Israeli Magazine" and claims that:

Egypt is preparing a comprehensive initiative involving a ceasefire in Gaza, a Hamas-Israel prisoner exchange, and a Hamas-Fatah power sharing agreement.

So far, media reports have little official information and are instead relying on quoting each other.

However, Israel did make a gesture to Hamas today. Hamas politician Aziz Dweik was released after three years in an Israeli prison. Dweik, in turn called for "unity, conciliation, and dialogue. . . . healing the rift between the Palestinian rivals and restore Palestinian unity."

This may not be directly related to Shalit, but, nonetheless, these are development to watch.