Across Asia: Israel

Prisoner swap not certain

Israel's prime minister tried yesterday to temper expectations that a deal to free an Israeli soldier held by Hamas militants was imminent.

After three years of troubled negotiations, officials in Israel and the Gaza Strip have recently reported progress toward clinching a deal to swap Sergeant Gilad Schalit for some 1,000 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. A Hamas delegation was in Egypt yesterday meeting with the German official trying to finalize an agreement.