BEIT-UL-MOQADDAS (AFP) -- Israel has received a list of names of detainees the Palestinians want freed in exchange for a soldier abducted by Gaza militants last June, a senior official said on Sunday.

"We have received a list of several hundreds of Palestinians, including many with blood on their hands, who the Palestinians want to have" in exchange for Corporal Gilad Shalit, the official told AFP.

Israel refers to prisoners with "blood on their hands" as anyone who has carried out or helped plan the killing of Israeli soldiers or citizens.

Shalit was captured on June 25 by Palestinian militants, including members of the armed wing of the ruling Islamist Hamas movement, who raided an army outpost on the border with the Gaza Strip.

"We have moved another step forward, but there is still a lot of time before we see Shalit," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to the media.

The list was handed to Israel by Egyptian officials who have been mediating efforts to hammer out a deal in recent months, the official said.

On Saturday, Palestinian Information Minister Mustafa al-Barghuti said that a list of prisoners has been transferred to Israel.

An Egyptian delegation "has informed the Palestinian government that the procedure for an exchange has started," Barghuti told a news conference in Ramallah.

"The Egyptians have transmitted a list of names of Palestinian prisoners who must be freed. Everything that has been demanded on the Palestinian side has been transmitted.