Shalit returns to home town a free man

One thin and weary Israeli soldier went home after five years as a Hamas captive today as hundreds of jailed Palestinians made the opposite journey, released as a swap for him.

Gilad Shalit was handed over to Egyptian mediators in an exchange for 1,027 Palestinians.

More than 450 were transferred from Israeli prisons to the West Bank and Gaza today, where massive celebratory rallies were held and crowds demanded more hostages like him be seized for future swaps.

The rest of the prisoners – about 550 more – are to be released in a second phase in two months.

Before he was flown to an Israel air base where he reunited with his parents, Shalit spoke to Egyptian TV in an interview Israeli officials later called “shocking.”

The gaunt, sallow and uncomfortable looking Shalit appeared to struggle to speak at times, and his breathing was noticeably laboured as he awkwardly answered questions He said he felt good and was “very excited” to be going free. But the circumstances of his release, along with the awkward TV interview, raised questions about the conditions the 25-year-old had endured.

Shalit, who had not been seen in public since his capture, was whisked across Gaza’s border into Egypt early in the morning by armed Hamas militants in an SUV, setting the swap into motion.

Wearing a black baseball hat and grey shirt, he was seen for the first time emerging from a pickup truck and turned over to Egyptian mediators by a gang of top Hamas militants.

Shalit, still escorted by Hamas gunmen, was then taken to a border crossing, where an Egyptian TV crew waited to interview him before he was finally sent into Israel.

Stumbling over his words, he spoke in the interview of missing his family and friends, said he feared he would remain in captivity “many more years” and worried that the deal might fall through after learning about it last week.

“Of course I missed my family. I missed friends, meeting people to talk to people, and not to sit all day, to do the same things,” he said.

Israel reacted angrily to the interview, saying it was inappropriate to force Shalit to answer questions in such difficult circumstances. But the interviewer, Shahira Amin, said he had not been forced.

Later, video released by the Israeli military showed the weak Shalit being helped into an army jeep after crossing the border into Israel, and walking gingerly down some steps as he exited a military caravan in a fresh army uniform.

Military officials said a physical exam had found him to be in “good” condition, though he showed signs of malnutrition and lack of exposure to the sun.

Shalit was then flown to an air base in central Israel, where he was met by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and reunited with his family.

He was later flown home to the small town of Mitzpe Hila where thousands took to the streets to welcome him back.

Mr Netanyahu issued a warning to the freed militants saying that any who returned to terror would “be held accountable”.

Those concerns were underscored with comments by Palestinian prisoners and demonstrators for more soldier kidnappings to bring home the thousands of Palestinians who remain in Israeli prisons.

“The people want a new Gilad,” the crowd chanted in Gaza.

Many of the freed Palestinians were serving life sentences for deadly attacks on Israelis.

Hamas, which negotiated Tuesday’s swap, has controlled Gaza since capturing the territory from forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in 2007.

Hamas turned Tuesday’s celebration in Gaza into a show of strength for the Islamic militant movement.

Thousands hoisted green Hamas flags, while a far smaller number raised the banners of rival movement Fatah, led by Mahmoud Abbas. The released prisoners were making their way from the border with Egypt, on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip, to Gaza City in the north, and many thousands were lining the street to cheer on the convoy.

Mr Abbas is likely to suffer politically as a result of the swap, the most significant for the Palestinians in nearly 30 years. Over decades of negotiating with Israel, he has only been able to bring about the release of those who had little time left on their sentences.

While Israel has a long history of lopsided prisoner swaps, today’s deal was by far the most uneven. It capped a five-and-a-half-year saga that has seen multiple Israeli military offensives in Gaza, an Israeli blockade on the territory and numerous rounds of failed negotiations.

An intense media campaign to free Shalit made him a national symbol in Israel, and all local radio and TV stations held special live broadcasts following every step of the exchange. The voices of Israeli broadcasters cracked with emotion as news of his return became clear.