Gaza City/Cairo - A senior delegation from the Gaza Strip's ruling Hamas movement left for Egypt on Tuesday to resume talks on a possible prisoner swap deal with Israel.

Hamas sources in Gaza said the delegation, headed by senior Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar, is expected to arrive in Cairo on Tuesday evening.

The delegation will resume indirect talks with Israel through Egyptian mediators to finalize a prisoner swap deal that would include Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was captured in 2006.

Hamas is demanding the release of hundreds of Palestinians from Israeli prisons in exchange for the 23-year-old soldier.

Sources in Gaza said earlier that a Norwegian security official visited the salient last week and met Hamas leaders to discuss the swap deal after German mediators became involved, as talks mediated by Egypt have so far been unsuccessful.

"The talks focused on the number of Palestinian prisoners that Israel would expel to some European countries including Norway," the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Hamas previously rejected proposals of deporting any prisoner freed under the deal. But reports reveal that things started to move on when Germany, which sponsored two prisoner exchange deals between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah group, got involved.

"The German negotiators made progress in the deal and now the focus is on the technical arrangements," the sources added.

According to some reports, Israel is expected to free 450 prisoners as soon as Shalit is handed to Egyptian authorities and another 550 prisoners would be released once he arrives in Israel. (dpa)