MITZPE HILA, Israel — Freed Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit arrived at his hometown in northern Israel on Tuesday, after a historic prisoner swap deal brought an end to his five-year captivity at the hands of Hamas.
Shalit, looking thin and pale but happy, flew by helicopter from the Tel Nof Air Force Base in central Israel, where he was reunited with his parents and greeted by senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Cheering crowds waving Israeli flags lined the streets of Shalit’s hometown, Mitzpe Hila, as a convoy of cars and police escorts entered the town and the 25-year-old was whisked into his home.
The journey to Mitzpe Hila capped an extraordinary day which saw Shalit taken across the border from Gaza into Egypt and then transferred to Israel. His release marked the first time in 26 years that a captured soldier was returned to Israel alive.
Shortly after his release, Shalit told Egyptian broadcaster Nile TV he was excited to be returning home. “I am very emotional,” he said, adding that he “did not have contact with anybody” during his captivity.
He said, “They were long years … I thought I would find myself in that situation for many more years.”
Shalit heard about his release a week ago but said he had been anxious about whether or not he really would be freed. Commenting on the deal, he said, “I will be very happy if the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails are released, so long as they don’t return to attack Israel.”
Shalit said his Hamas captors treated him well and that he was in good health. His father, Noam Shalit, told reporters outside of their home that his son “suffers from minor injuries” and “will be treated by the army.”
After the long day, Noam Shalit said that his family was “very moved” by the show of support and solidarity, but he warned that his son was “not quite adjusted” and was not yet ready to appear before the media.
Netanyahu greeted Shalit as he walked off a military helicopter at the Tel Nof base, saying “Shalom Gilad, welcome back to Israel, good to have you back.” Pictures released by the prime minister’s office showed the soldier saluting Netanyahu and hugging his father.
At a news conference, the prime minister discussed the hard-won deal for Shalit, in which Israel agreed to grant freedom to 1,027 Palestinian prisoners. The first 447 prisoners were freed Tuesday and arrived in Gaza City to a tumultuous welcome, with the Hamas rulers organizing a huge homecoming celebration.
Netanyahu said the decision to approve the swap for was difficult, but one that he had to make.
“We had to return home a solider that we sent out to fight for us,” he said. “As a soldier and as a commander, I was sent out by the army for dangerous missions, but I always knew that if I or one of my friends would fall in battle, the government of Israel would do whatever it could to bring us home.”
Netanyahu said he had taken care to make sure top Hamas figures remained behind bars. “I wish to clarify, we will continue to fight terror, and every released terrorist who returns to terror will be taking his life in his hands,” he said.
Shalit had been held incommunicado ever since his capture by militant groups in a deadly cross-border raid on June 25, 2006.
Three days after he was snatched, Israel launched a huge military operation against Gaza to try to secure his release, which lasted five months and left more than 400 Palestinians dead.
He was a corporal at the time of his capture, just a year into his national service, but was promoted twice in captivity.
Shalit’s parents, Noam and Aviva, camped outside Netanyahu’s home in a protest tent for 16 months after they walked from northern Israel to Jerusalem last year to mark the fourth anniversary of their son’s capture.
The swap was welcomed by leaders and diplomats around the world, including US President Barack Obama, who was “personally pleased” that Shalit was reunited with his family, according to White House Press Secretary Jay Carney.
While on a visit to Libya, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also hailed the end of “a long ordeal” for Shalit.
She also expressed hope that Ilan Grapel, a US-Israeli dual national held in a prison in Egypt, would also be released, amid reports that a deal involving Egyptian prisoners in Israel was close.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) greets Gilad Shalit at Tel Nof air base. (REUTERS)
Friends of abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit celebrate his release in family home village of Mitzpeh Hila. (AFP/Getty Images)