German mediator delays prison swap visit to Gaza

A German mediator said by a Hamas official to have arrived in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday for talks on a Hamas-Israel prisoner swap has postponed his visit, the Islamist group said later.

A Hamas official told Reuters the mediator had not arrived in Gaza.

Another official close to the negotiations said the official would travel to the territory on Wednesday because Israel wanted to modify its reply to Hamas''s demands and asked him to postpone his meetings.

Under a proposed deal, about 1,000 of the 11,000 Palestinians held in Israeli jails would be released in exchange for Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier held in the Gaza Strip since 2006.