Israeli-Palestinian prisoner swap to happen 'sooner or later': report

A prisoner swap deal between Palestinian factions and Israel is just a "matter of time", a report released on Tuesday has quoted a source close to Hamas as saying.

The unnamed source told the local Al-Quds newspaper that UN and Arab mediators, led by Egypt, are working toward a breakthrough in the indirect negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. Egyptian and Hamas officials have been holding similar talks in recent weeks, aimed at securing a lasting truce with Israel in Gaza - with a possible prisoner swap on the cards.

"We are sure that our heroes' prisoners will be released sooner or later," Al-Quds quoted the source as saying.

The source said the prisoners of the highest priority for their release demands are those who were released from prison as part of the Egypt-mediated Shalit deal of 2011, but re-arrested soon after.

That deal saw Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, kidnapped by Hamas in 2006, released in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners who had been convicted on terror charges.

Meanwhile, Hamas's military wing Izz al-Din al-Qassam posted an image to its website and social media accounts of Israelis they are currently detaining.

In the image are four Israeli prisoners and one of Izz al-Din al-Qassam's masked members carrying a weapon and handcuffs, to suggest that the Israelis were captured alive.

"Our prisoners, the time of your liberation is near," the caption below reads.

Israeli media outlets reported that there has not been any progress on a prisoner swap deal, largely due to Hamas' demands that Israel release a large number of prisoners serving lengthy sentences.