Israel's outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday said that his government would make on Monday its decision on a possible prisoner swap deal with Hamas.

Two high-ranking Israeli officials are now in Cairo for meetings with Egyptian mediators on the expected exchange, which would see the return of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

"My emissaries will return this evening and will report to me. The government will receive an update tomorrow, and in accordance with that we will reach a decision," local daily Ha'aretz quoted Olmert as telling Sunday's weekly cabinet meeting.

Hinting that progress has been made on the issue, which gathers increasing public attention, Olmert said that "until today, Hamas' position was far beyond what the most moderate figures that pressured and pushed for a deal with Hamas would have accepted."

With Olmert nearing the end of his premiership, the Jewish state has intensified efforts to bring back Shalit, who was abducted by Palestinian militants nearly three years ago and is now believed to be hidden somewhere in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

Recently revealed bargaining showed that any exchange deal would see Israel free hundreds of Palestinian detainees from its jails in return, many of whom were involved in deadly attacks against Israelis.

Should a deal be reached and approved, the swap would begin with Israel releasing 300 prisoners and Hamas transferring Shalit to Egypt, which would be followed up with the release of 150 more Palestinian prisoners and the return of Shalit to Israel, according to Ha'aretz.

(Xinhua News Agency March 16, 2009)