Jerusalem - The parents of the abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit began camping outside the home of outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in a protest on Sunday, Israeli media reported.

Aviva and Noam Shalit want Olmert to reach an agreement before leaving office to free Gilad, who was captured in June 2006 by militant Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and is believed to be being held Hamas.

Negotiations to secure his release, under Egyptian mediation, have so far been unsuccessful.

"We call on him (Olmert) and the Israeli government to ... save Gilad before it's too late," Noam Shalit told Israeli radio on Sunday.

Olmert said the parents' actions were counter-productive. "The question is what purpose such a camp protest serves," Olmert said, adding that Shalit's abductors were inhuman, and giving in to their demands would only increase the problem.

Hamas has demanded the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in return for Shilat's release.

Israel has demanded Shalit's release as part of any ceasefire in Gaza, and is refusing to open border crossings into the strip until he is freed. (dpa)