The message former US President Jimmy Carter wanted to be sent to a captive Israeli soldier in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip was verbal, an aide to Hamas' Premier Ismail Haneya said on Wednesday.

The message was not written and included "the details of a meeting Carter held with the family of Gilad Shalit," Yousef Rika, Haneya's political advisor told Xinhua. "It also included Carter's personal wishes and Shalit's family's hopes of ending this case and releasing the soldier," he added.

Carter, who visited Gaza on his personal capacity on Tuesday, had reportedly handed a letter from Shalit's family to Haneya, hoping the latter would pass the message to the soldier who has been held by Hamas since 2006.

Earlier Wednesday, a spokesman for Hamas military wing said the Islamic movement had not received any letter to be sent to Shalit. The spokesman, Abu Obaida, said Hamas will study any type of letter before delivering them to the captive corporal.

Meanwhile, Rika said that Carter "did not offer to play any role in the indirect negotiations to swap the prisoners," referring to some 1,000 prisoners Hamas demands their release in exchange for Shalit.

(Xinhua News Agency June 18, 2009)