Jerusalem - Outgoing Israeli Premier Ehud Olmert suspended a top defence ministry official from negotiating with Egyptian mediators on a truce with militants in the Gaza Strip and the return of an Israeli soldier held captive in the salient for two-and-a-half years.

Israel Radio quoted unnamed "high-ranking figures in the Prime Minister's Office" as saying Monday that the talks with Egypt would now be conducted by Olmert's office, and Amos Gilad would no longer be the envoy.

The suspension of Gilad, the head of the defence ministry's political-security office, comes after he criticized Olmert in a newspaper interview last week.

Gilad told the Ma'ariv daily that Olmert's decision to link a Gaza truce to the release of Israeli corporal Gilad Shalit, held captive in the Strip since being snatched in a cross-border raid on June 25, 2006, was an insult to Egypt, which has been trying to broker the ceasefire.

Olmert's office has also filed a complaint against Gilad with the Civil Service Commissioner.

In contrast to Olmert's announcement, the defence ministry said Monday that Gilad would continue to liaise with foreign officials, including those from Egypt, on behalf of the ministry.

Former Defence Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer criticized Olmert's decision Monday, telling Israel Radio that "I think Ehud Olmert should display magnanimity and know when this begins to affect state security and considerations of bringing back Gilad Shalit."

"I think he's gone too far. You can't erase all of Amos Gilad's actions on behalf of the State of Israel. Gilad made a mistake, a serious one that he should not have made, but enough already," he said. (dpa)