Gilad Shalit released

HAMAS has handed Israeli Corporal Gilad Shalit over to the Egyptian military. The corporal spent 5 years in captivity after being seized by Palestinian militants, Reuters reports.

The car that took Shalit to the Israeli border has already returned to the Gaza Strip. He is being taken to the Kerem-Shalom control post where Israeli medics await him.

Shalit was captured by the Palestinian forces on June 25, 2006. An Israeli officer and two other servicemen died trying to rescue the corporal. Two militants were also killed. Islamists demanded over a thousand Palestinian prisoners to be released, including militant leaders, women and children, in exchange for the Israeli serviceman.

Israel and HAMAS reached a deal on October 11. Israel agreed to release 1027 Palestinians, including 27 women. They will be released in two stages. The first group will consist of 477 convicts (287 of them sentenced for life) and will be released soon after Shalit arrives. The rest will be released in two months.

40 Palestinians will be deported to the Western Bank of Jordan River and Gaza Sector, 163 loсals from the Western Bank – to Gaza.

Palestine says there are 8,200 Palestinian convicts in Israeli prisons. This includes 62 women and over 200 children. Most of them come from the Western Bank of Jordan River. They say that their detention conditions are complicated.