The much-awaited prisoner exchange between Israel and the Islamist hamas movement began before dawn on Tuesday under a landmark deal to swap 1,027
Palestinian prisoners with Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier under Hamas' captivity for over five years.
About 500 Palestinian prisoners were bused from jails due to be freed on Tuesday have now started leaving their jails
Both Israel and the Palestinian leadership ie Fatah in the West Bank while Hamas in the Gaza Strip made arrangements to welcome their prisoners .
The first of 477 Palestinian prisoners were bused from jails in the morning and will be taken to the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Egypt.AT the same time the captured Israeli soldier will be received by Egypt by Hamas captors as Egypt helped broker the deal and hand him to Israel.
The International Committee of the Red Cross will be there for Schalit's hand over but won't have any role in ferrying him out of Gaza.
The prisoners will be undergoing checks in the Ketziot prison, near the border with Egypt, and in the Sharon facility in central Israel.
The remaining 550 prisoners are scheduled to be released next month.
Schalit's release would end an ordeal for his family and close a painful chapter for Israel. he was abducted in a cross-border raid and dragged into Gaza in June 2006 by Hamas-backed militants. Two
Israeli soldiers were killed in the raid.
Shalit will be greeted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, other leaders and close family members .
Isarel will free the prisoners at various locations at West Bank Gaza Jordan, Turkey, Qatar and Syria and hamas will be welcoming them.
The prisoners returning to Gaza ,will be going to Egypt first,from where they will cross into the coastal enclave via the Rafah border crossing.
Out of the released prisoners has 450 male prisoners, including 280 inmates serving life sentences, and 27 female prisoners.
Israel's Supreme Court upheld the prisoner exchange dealon Monday, rejecting four petitions submitted by relatives of Israelis killed in Palestinian attacks.
But Isarelis protested on the prisoner swap deal with Hamas, with many viewing it as a capitulation to terror,as the prisoners who are being released are militants i nvolved in deadly bombings and other attacks targeting Israeli civilians and soldiers.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made an impassioned appeal to victims of terror attacks to stand by his decision to seal the release of a captive soldier.
"I write to you with a heavy heart. I understand and know your pain. I belong to a bereaved family of the victims and fallen of terrorism. By brother was killed in the operation to rescue the Entebbe hostages," Netanyahu wrote in a letter to families of terror victims.
Viewing this development a positive step in the ongoing Middle East conflict,UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the exchange of prisoners as a "welcome" step .
International pressure made Israel and Palestine agreeing to have talks in the environment which is currently positive with the prisoners swap deal.
The Quartet which launched an initiative on September 23 to restart suspended peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians,after Mahmoud Abbas presented the Palestinian bid for statehood at the United Nations.
Again the envoys of the Quartet -US,EU,UN and Russia will be meeting separately in Jerusalem on October 26 with israeli and Palestinian representatives as they seek to move forward in the peace talks .
Israel accepted an international proposal to renew direct peace negotiations with the Palestinians "without any preconditions" within a month.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his eight senior cabinet ministers "welcomed the Quartet's call for direct negotiations between the parties, without preconditions, as called for by both (US) President (Barack) Obama and Netanyahu".
There is an attempt to by the international community to make peace in middle east as West believes that Arab spring has left Israel "increasingly isolated" in the Middle East .
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