NBC News — Families of prisoners detained in Israel gathered at Egypt's border with the country ahead of an expected prisoner swap. Late thursday, Israel will swap 25 Egyptians for a U.S-Israeli dual citizen accused of espionage.

The U.S. brokered deal was reached shortly after a successful Egyptian-brokered swap between Israel and Hamas that freed a soldier held by the militant group for more than five years in exchange for more than 1000 Palestinian prisoners. Twenty-seven year old Ilan Grapel was arrested in Egypt and accused of being a spy trying to recruit agents and monitor events in the popular revolt that overthrew President Hosni Mubarak in February. His mother said at the time her son was working for a refugee service in Cairo.