Hamas has decided to suspend the indirect negotiations with the Israeli occupation on a prisoner exchange deal until the latter complies with the conditions of the Egyptian brokered truce.

Osama al-Muzaini said in a press statement on Friday: "We will not go [to Cairo] for a new round of negotiations on a prisoner exchange deal before the occupation shows commitment to implementing all the articles of the truce, which will be reviewed by the movement in a couple of days."

Muzaini said that his movement has received an invitation from Egypt on Tuesday to send negotiators to Cairo for a new round of talks, but his movement declined because it rejects the idea of entering a new round of negotiations before previous agreements are implemented, especially the truce issue.

He added that the goods and fuel that were allowed into the Gaza Strip over the past few days show that the Israeli occupation is equivocating about the implementation of what was agreed, because the quantity and the quality supplied is much less than what was agreed.

Asked on whether Hamas has changed its conditions for the release of Shalit, Muzaini said that the movement will not give up its conditions which is the release of 450 Palestinian captives as a first step, to be followed by the release of 550 others.

Muzaini also said that his movement has handed Egypt a list of captives they want released, but the Israeli occupation has only agreed to 71 of them, which is different from what was reached 11 months ago.

He refused to be drawn to divulge any of the names on the list or to talk about the health of Shalit saying that only Shalit's captors know his health situation and he denied rumours that his movement handed Shalit's parents a recorded videotape of their son.

On the affiliations of the Palestinian captives that his movement is trying to get released Muzaini said that they belong to factions across the spectrum and they include some Arab captives as well.

Mishaal Meets President Asad And Discuss Latest Developments

A Hamas delegation headed by Khaled Mishaal, the head of the movements political bureau, met, on Thursday morning, with President Bashar al-Asad, the Syrian president.

A statement by Hamas said that the meeting lasted for about one and a half hours during which the latest developments in Palestine and the region were discussed.

President Asad expressed his support for Palestinian national reconciliation talks which would lead to Palestinian national unity and said Syria was ready to exert efforts in this regard.

Asad also expressed his support for the Palestinian people's struggle to regain their lands and rights and welcomed the truce in the Gaza Strip which was the result of the Palestinian people's steadfastness.

Mishaal for his part welcomed national reconciliation talks that would deal with the root causes of the discord in the Palestinian arena.

With regard to the truce in the Gaza Strip, Mishaal said that Hamas is committed to the truce to the extent that the Israeli occupation implements its articles especially those referring to the lifting of the siege.