Israeli and Palestinian officials are preparing for a major prisoner swap planned for Tuesday.

Leaders of the Palestinian group Hamas that rules the Gaza Strip met with Egyptian intelligence officers in Cairo Saturday to discuss the handover of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, captured by Hamas gunmen in the 2006 cross-border raid.

He is to be freed under an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians mediated by Egypt, that calls for the release of 1,027 Palestinian inmates.

If all goes according to plan, Shalit will be released to Egyptian custody and then handed over to Israel. At the same time, Israel will free 477 Palestinian prisoners, including top militants involved in deadly bombings. The remaining 550 inmates will be freed over a two-month period.

Palestinian groups in Gaza are gearing up for celebrations to welcome prisoners home. Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh called their release “a great victory.”

In Israel, however, the mood is more subdued. While Israelis are delighted to see the captive soldier return, the country is paying a heavy price — 1,027 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for just one soldier. Government spokesman Mark Regev said the release of the Palestinian prisoners creates security risks but Israel has a national duty to bring its soldiers home.

Israel has carried out similar prisoner swaps in the past. Opponents call the policy “a grave mistake” and warn such swaps will encourage more kidnappings of Israeli soldiers. Hamas has already said the latest deal is just the first step toward the release of all of the remaining 5,000 Palestinians in Israeli jails.

On Friday, Israeli authorities detained a man who defaced a memorial to former Israeli leader Yitzhak Rabin to protest the release of a Palestinian prisoner.

Authorities say the man's parents and at least three of his siblings were among 15 people killed in a 2001 suicide bombing in Jerusalem. At least one Palestinian prisoner convicted in the attack is scheduled to be freed.