The newly-freed prisoner Rawda Habib (L), who was supposed to be freed but Israel postponed her release to Sunday due to Jewish holidays, embraces with her husband in Gaza, October 4, 2009. On Friday, Israel freed 19 Palestinian female prisoners in exchange for a videotape of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier captured by Hamas in a cross-border raid near Gaza in 2006, who is now jailed in the Gaza Strip. [Xinhua]

Israel on Sunday freed the last Palestinian woman in the deal that included the release of 20 women in exchange for information about Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier held in the Gaza Strip.

The prisoner, Rawda Habib, arrived in the Gaza Strip Sunday afternoon. She is the second prisoner from Gaza. The rest, who were freed on Friday, live in the West Bank.

Under an Egyptian-German mediation efforts, Islamic Hamas movements released a video tape for Shalit and Israel freed 20 women as gestures to establish serious talks to release Shalit in exchange for about 1,000 Arab and Palestinian prisoners.

Speaking at a press conference after meeting Habib, deposed Hamas prime minister Ismail Haneya said the release of the 20 prisoners "was a serious step" on the way to reach the broader swap.

Earlier on Sunday, Hamas said Israel's insistence not to free a senior Hamas commander was the reason that prevents a prisoner exchange deal from being reached.

Since the beginning of indirect talks to swap an Israeli soldier for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, Israel has been rejecting to talk about Ibraheem Hamed, the jailed leader of Hamas' armed wing in the West Bank, the website of al-Qassam Brigades of Hamas reported.

"Israel suspends the prisoners' swap under the pretext that some prisoners which Hamas asks for their release are very dangerous, especially al-Qassam's leaders, mainly Ibraheem Hamed," the Hamas' website reported.

Arrested in May 2006 in Ramallah, Hamas says Hamed "has the direct responsibility for planning and preparing tens of attacks in the heart of the occupying entity (Israel) that led to the death and injury of 78 Israelis," according to the report.

Hamad is among 450 controversial prisoners Hamas demanded their release under the final swap.

Through the talks between Hamas and Israel, sponsored by Egypt and Germany, the Jewish state has agreed to free most of the prisoners whose names appeared in Hamas' list.

(Xinhua News Agency October 5, 2009)