Jerusalem  - Israeli Premier Ehud Olmert was to convene the security cabinet Wednesday to discuss a proposal whereby any truce in the Gaza Strip would be conditioned on the release of an Israeli soldier held in the salient for the past two and a half years.

The militant groups in the Strip were demanding that as part of any truce, Israel open the crossing points into the salient and end its blockade of the enclave.

They also want, in a separate deal, Israel to free hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from its jails in return for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, snatched in a cross-border raid on June 25, 2006.

Olmert, however, was determined to link the release of Shalit to any truce.

The security cabinet was also expected to discuss which prisoners and how many Israel would be willing to release in exchange for Shalit.

It was unclear whether Hamas would accept linking the release of Shalit to any truce, which Egypt has been trying to broker since January 18 when Israel ended a 22-day offensive against militants in the Strip. (dpa)