Hamas on Saturday vowed it will not soften its demands to free a captive Israeli soldier for a number of Palestinian prisoners.

"Hamas has demanded the release of at least 1,000 prisoners whoserve long sentences," said Osama al-Muzini, a Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip.

Last week, an Israeli ministerial committee agreed to release 450 prisoners in the first phase of the swap once the captive corporal Gilad Shalit is handed over to Egyptian mediators.

Responding to the new Israeli offer, less than half of Hamas demands, Al-Muzini said the new list "represents an Israeli flexible stance and a recognition of Hamas demands' fairness, a humanitarian demand that can not be given away."

However, al-Muzini said the new Israeli offer was "inadequate because what Hamas demands is the minimum thing that can not undergo concessions."

Hamas and two aligned groups kidnapped Shalit in a cross-borderraid at his base to southeastern Gaza Strip in 2006.

Egypt has mediated between Hamas and Israel in a bid to broker a prisoner exchange agreement, despite Hamas' insistence on selecting prisoners to be freed and Israel's repeated refusal to the demand.

Differences between Hamas and Egypt, which widened after the Islamic movement seized full control of the Gaza Strip by force last year, also hindered the talks over Shalit's release.

(Xinhua News Agency September 27, 2008)