'Egypt angry' over "israel" truce condition

CAIRO (AFP) – Egypt expressed its "indignation" on Thursday over "israel"'s decision by "israel" to link a Cairo-brokered truce in Gaza with Hamas to the release of a seized soldier.

Cairo "feels indignation" after Wednesday's vote by "israel"'s security cabinet to make a truce conditional on the release of Gilad Shalit, a senior official told AFP.

The young conscript was captured by Gaza militants in a deadly cross-border raid in June 2006.

""israel" has demolished its credibility" and this attitude will "complicate the situation," said the official, who did not wish to be identified.

"It was clear from the beginning that the issue of the soldier was not linked to the truce agreement," he added.

"Egypt will not change its position. The Shalit case cannot be linked to the truce," he said echoing similar remarks made earlier this week by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

Hamas insists that Shalit's release be negotiated separately as part of a prisoner exchange involving hundreds of Palestinians currently held in "israeli" jails.

Hamas has said any truce must include the opening of Gaza's border crossings, which "israel" has closed to all but humanitarian aid since the Islamist movement seized power in June 2007.

Egypt has been acting as a go-between in efforts to consolidate the separate ceasefires that ended "israel"'s 22-day Gaza offensive on January 18. The war killed more than 1,300 Palestinians and 13 "israeli"s.

The ceasefires have been rattled by Palestinian rocket fire and retaliatory "israeli" military raids.