Palestinian inmates began leaving Israeli jails early Tuesday, setting in motion the historic swap that will trade more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners for one captured Israeli soldier.
A total of 477 prisoners were being moved to meeting points with the Red Cross, according to a spokeswoman at Israel's Prison Authority.
Israeli radio reported that more than 1,000 police officers were deployed to ensure public order and the safety of the convoys, which headed to the Egyptian border.
Late Monday, the Israeli Supreme Court rejected appeals against the release of prisoners in exchange for captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Israel and Hamas approved the deal last week, agreeing to release in two stages 1,027 Palestinian prisoners, including hundreds serving life sentences for attacks on Israelis. The second stage is scheduled to happen later this year.
Shalit has been held incommunicado by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which controls Gaza, since his seizure.
The Israeli public overwhelmingly supports the swap for Shalit, an Israeli army sergeant who was abducted in a raid in 2006, when he was 19 years old.
Cnn.com
0 comments