Widow of slain minister Ze'evi: I`m willing to swap his killers for Shalit

The wife of slain cabinet minister Rehavam Ze'evi (also known by his nickname Gandhi) said Wednesday "I would be happy to see Gilad Shalit returned to his family, even in exchange for Gandhi's murderers."

Shalit was abducted by Gaza militants in a cross-border raid in June 2006 and has been held captive since.

Yael Ze'evi, whose husband was murdered by Palestinian assassins eight years ago, said in an interview with Channel 2 that her husband was "murdered while wearing dog tags bearing the names of captive and missing soldiers. He viewed the release of captive soldiers as a supreme priority."

Ze'evi's killers are listed among the Palestinian prisoners slated to be exchanged for Shalit if a prisoner swap goes through.

In light of Yael Ze'evi's remarks, Shalit's family announced that they planned on contacting her. "We appreciate it very much," said the coordinator of the center for the release of Gilad Shalit. Activists were planning to stage a march on behalf of Shalit, from the Tel Aviv Museum to the home of Defense Minister Ehud Barak.

Barak said Wednesday that the circumstances that arose following Israel's three-week offensive in the Gaza Strip could assist in bringing about Shalit's release.

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said Tuesday that Israel will condition complying with any of Hamas' demands on the advancement of Shalit's release. "It is clear to me that at this point in time, with Hamas on one side and the international community on the other, Israel will be pressured on Gaza border crossings and other issues," Livni said.

"So I'm clearly stating in advance - if there is something that Hamas wants from Israel, we have one person that we want in return: Gilad Shalit. It is impossible to separate the issues, and it is impossible to advance any other issue before we work toward what is really important to us ? the release of Gilad Shalit," she went on to say.