Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit finally returned home to northern Israel yesterday after emerging frail but elated from 1,941 days of captivity in a deal that saw 477 Palestinians walk free.
As the convoy carrying Mr Shalit and his family pulled into their home village of Mitzpe Hila, thousands of spectators whistled and cheered, waving giant Israeli flags and throwing white carnations and roses, in an expression of the excitement which has swept the Jewish state.
Similar expressions of joy and celebration could be seen across the West Bank and Gaza following the release of 477 prisoners, the first of some 1,027 Palestinians who will be freed under terms of a landmark prisoner swap deal between Israel and the Islamist Hamas movement.
“Today we experienced the rebirth of a son,” his father, Noam Shalit, said after the family returned home to their village, the streets packed with thousands of jubilant supporters cheering and throwing flowers.
“Today we are ending a long and tiring journey that began in June 2006.”
The long-awaited prisoner swap operation, which was announced by Israel and Hamas last week, kicked off before dawn when hundreds of Palestinian prisoners were bussed to drop-off points in and around the occupied territories.
But it was hours before officials confirmed that the Israeli soldier, who was 19 when he was snatched by three Gaza-based groups in a deadly cross-border raid on June 25, 2006, had finally crossed into Israeli territory.
“Gilad has returned home,” the Israeli army’s chief spokesman, Brigadier General Yoav Mordechai, announced around 11 a.m. (0900 GMT) some two-and-a-half hours after Hamas handed over Mr Shalit to Egyptian officials.
Following an initial medical check, Mr Shalit’s state of health was said to be “good and satisfactory,” although footage of him showed him looking gaunt and frail.
Shortly afterwards, 477 Palestinian prisoners were freed to tumultuous scenes, with thousands of family members and supporters welcoming them with tears and embraces. Among those released were hundreds of Palestinians who were serving life sentences after being convicted of involvement in deadly attacks, in what is the highest price ever paid by the Jewish state for the release of one man.
The US voiced “concerns” to Israel over some of the prisoners who were freed, the State Department said without elaborating.
“We have looked at some of these individuals and we’ve communicated our position... to the Israeli government,” State Department spokesman Mark Toner said, adding he could not “get into the substance of our concerns too greatly”.
Men wept as they embraced their sons and brothers, while women ululated excitedly before the prisoners were driven to Gaza City where they were met by more than 200,000 well-wishers for a mass celebration.