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Israel starts handover of Arab, Palestinian prisoners
Source: Xinhua |
October 18, 2011, Tuesday
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ISRAEL this morning released the first batch of Arab and Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, held captive by the Islamic Hamas movement since 2006.
The handover was a confirmation that the soldier has been handed over to Egyptian authorities and was out of Hamas' control.
Under the swap deal, approved by Israel's cabinet last week, the Jewish state has committed to releasing some 1,027 prisoners.
Two convoys of Israeli Prison Services buses left the southern Ketziot prison at 3 am local time (0100 GMT) with 477 prisoners who were being released in the first phase of the swap, among them 27 female militants who were jailed in Israel for their involvement in lethal attacks.
The first convoy of prisoners arrived at Ofer, a military incarceration facility near the West Bank city of Ramallah, where the prisoners were met by Red Cross officials.
In parallel, another convoy journeyed to the Kerem Shalom crossing on the Gaza border, where the prisoners were handed over to Egyptian authorities prior to their expected return to the coastal territory.
"Buses loaded with prisoners have crossed the border," a witness at the Kerem Shalom crossing told Xinhua.
A smaller number of Israeli-Arab prisoners were due to return to their homes in east Jerusalem today. Others are slated for deportation abroad, with Qatar, Turkey and Syria saying they would accommodate them.
The remaining 550 Palestinian prisoners included in the deal are due to be released in the coming two months.
A Hamas official in Gaza said that the group has transferred Shalit to the Sinai Peninsula and handed him over to Egyptian officials. The soldier, who has spent 1,941 days in Hamas captivity, was to be delivered to Israeli officials, Israel Channel 2 reported.
The handover was a confirmation that the soldier has been handed over to Egyptian authorities and was out of Hamas' control.
Under the swap deal, approved by Israel's cabinet last week, the Jewish state has committed to releasing some 1,027 prisoners.
Two convoys of Israeli Prison Services buses left the southern Ketziot prison at 3 am local time (0100 GMT) with 477 prisoners who were being released in the first phase of the swap, among them 27 female militants who were jailed in Israel for their involvement in lethal attacks.
The first convoy of prisoners arrived at Ofer, a military incarceration facility near the West Bank city of Ramallah, where the prisoners were met by Red Cross officials.
In parallel, another convoy journeyed to the Kerem Shalom crossing on the Gaza border, where the prisoners were handed over to Egyptian authorities prior to their expected return to the coastal territory.
"Buses loaded with prisoners have crossed the border," a witness at the Kerem Shalom crossing told Xinhua.
A smaller number of Israeli-Arab prisoners were due to return to their homes in east Jerusalem today. Others are slated for deportation abroad, with Qatar, Turkey and Syria saying they would accommodate them.
The remaining 550 Palestinian prisoners included in the deal are due to be released in the coming two months.
A Hamas official in Gaza said that the group has transferred Shalit to the Sinai Peninsula and handed him over to Egyptian officials. The soldier, who has spent 1,941 days in Hamas captivity, was to be delivered to Israeli officials, Israel Channel 2 reported.
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