Islamic Hamas movement official said on Friday that the file of the indirect talks to reach a prisoners' swap deal with Israel is now in a status of hibernation.

Osama al-Muzeini, a senior Hamas leader, involved in the talks told the pro-Hamas Gaza-based al-Ressala weekly that the talks now "are in a status of hibernation, until the new government in Israel resumes the talks."

Hamas movement's armed wing, al-Qassam Brigades and two other minor armed groups are keeping the Israeli corporal Gilad Shalit captive since the summer of 2006.

Shalit's captors, mainly Hamas, is demanding Israel to free 1,450 prisoners in its jails, including 450 prisoners, who serve life imprisonment for killing Israelis, in order to release Shalit. Egypt is mediating between the two sides.

The former Israeli government of Ehud Olmert had failed to reach an agreement with Hamas following two marathon indirect talks held in Cairo last month. Last Tuesday, a new government led by right-wing leader Benjamin Netanyahu was sworn in.

"Resuming the indirect talks with the new Israeli government will take sometime. However, I can't say that the file of the swap has died as the extremist Netanyahu took office," said al-Nuzeini.

He added that "the enemy has no other choices after all Israel's attempts to free Shalit had failed. Hamas movement won't change its demands and won't show more flexibility than it has shown in the last talks."

(Xinhua News Agency April 3, 2009)