Hamas ‘have agreed to conditional release of Israeli soldier’

Palestinian militants have agreed to a conditional release of the kidnapped Israeli soldier, but Israel has not yet accepted their terms, according to Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.

In an interview with Egypt’s leading pro-government newspaper, Al-Ahram, Mubarak said: “Egyptian contacts with several Hamas leaders resulted in preliminary, positive results in the shape of a conditional agreement to hand over the Israeli soldier as soon as possible to avoid an escalation.