Israelis, Palestinians await landmark prisoner swap

Israel and Hamas will on Tuesday begin a landmark prisoner swap deal that will see captured soldier Gilad Shalit return home in exchange for the release of more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. Emotions were running high inside Israel, where Shalit has enormous symbolic importance, with many overjoyed he is returning home, but others angered that so many Palestinians convicted of killing Israelis will be freed. The deal between Israel and its bitter Hamas enemy, is the highest price ever paid by the Jewish state for one person and, if all goes to plan, it will be the first time in 26 years that a captured soldier has been returned to the Jewish state alive. Details about the mechanics of the complex exchange were being kept under wraps, but information from Israeli and Palestinian sources and local media gave a rough sketch of how it would be managed. The process was expected to begin with Shalit being handed over to either a Red Cross representative or an Egyptian official in Gaza who will confirm to Israel that he is alive and well. Israel will then release 27 women prisoners after which Shalit will cross into Sinai. Then Israel will release 450 male prisoners to Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem, and will hand over to Egypt 40 others who are to be deported overseas. At exactly the same time, Shalit will cross into Israel where he will undergo a brief medical check and call his family before being flown to the Tel Nof air base near Tel Aviv. There he will be reunited with his family for the first time since he was captured 1,941 days ago. He will also be greeted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Ehud Barak and Chief of Staff Benny Gantz. Shalit's family have been readjusting and preparing for the long-awaited return of their son to their home in northern Israel, after finally moving out of the Jerusalem protest tent they called home for nearly 16 months. Throughout the Palestinian territories, similar preparations were taking place, with Hamas expected to hold a massive welcome rally in Gaza City and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas slated to greet prisoners in the West Bank city of Ramallah. The landmark deal has the support of most Israelis, and late Monday the Israeli Supreme Court upheld the government's prisoner exchange plans, rejecting four appeals against the release, including one from a terrorist victims' group. The court said that the decision to exchange prisoners rests with the government, Israeli military radio reported. Israeli officials have acknowledged the deal will be painful for the bereaved relatives, but said the agreement is the best accord that could be reached. Shalit was a 19-year-old corporal on duty along the Gaza border when he was captured on June 25 2006 by militants from three Gaza-based groups, including Hamas. Three days after he was snatched, Israel launched a massive military operation against Gaza in a bid to secure his release, which lasted five months and left more than 400 Palestinians dead. But the operation was unsuccessful and in June 2007, Hamas seized power in Gaza, still holding the young soldier at a location which has remained hidden until today. Hamas has declared Tuesday to be a national holiday, and three days of celebrations are also to be held in towns and cities across the West Bank.