What's happening with the Shalit deal?

Hosni Mubarak insists that Shalit is alive and well and coming home soon.

According to Mubarak, whose country is the chief negotiators in Israel's indirect negotiations with Hamas for a prisoner exchange deal, "I really believe the matter is about to be resolved soon, but I cannot commit to an exact date."

And Hamas insists again that most members of Hamas -- let alone Mubarak -- have no idea what's happening with Shalit.

No one in Hamas - apart from a very exclusive circle within the group's military wing - knows Gilad Shalit's location or is in contact with him, senior organization member Osama al-Muzeini said Friday morning following reports that indirect talks for a prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas will be resumed soon.

Hamas obviously thinks Shalit remains a useful bargaining chip -- and the more uncertainty about his condition, the better. Mubarak, on the other hand, is heavily invested in his role as a mediator between Egypt and Hamas. It would be embarrassing to admit that he has no real information on Shalit, as Hamas claims. So he's going to stick to his talking points.