Released Palestinian prisoners welcome their freedom
- 13 years ago
Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners released by Israel as part of the Gilad Shalit swap deal cross from Egypt into the Gaza Strip.
Emotions ran high, as many of those freed were interviewed by Egyptian state television.
(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) UNIDENTIFIED RELEASED PALESTINIAN PRISONER:
''I want to thank the Egyptian people for their support, and of course we thank those involved in the resistance, and we greet our martyrs. And today we are free, we are free.''
(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) UNIDENTIFIED RELEASED PALESTINIAN PRISONER:
''In the name of God the most gracious the most merciful, thank God. We want to tell the whole world that the Palestinians are a great nation, a nation that deserves the right, just like all the other nations, for freedom. We thank the Egyptian people for their support of the Palestinians, and this is a first step, to release all the Palestinian prisoners, and again we thank the great Egyptian nation for their continued support.''
The prisoners were released in exchange for the freedom of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was held by Hamas for more than five years.
477 Palestinians due for release on Tuesday, with a further 550 expected to be freed in a few months under in a second stage of the Egyptian-brokered agreement.
Nick Rowlands, Reuters.
Emotions ran high, as many of those freed were interviewed by Egyptian state television.
(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) UNIDENTIFIED RELEASED PALESTINIAN PRISONER:
''I want to thank the Egyptian people for their support, and of course we thank those involved in the resistance, and we greet our martyrs. And today we are free, we are free.''
(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) UNIDENTIFIED RELEASED PALESTINIAN PRISONER:
''In the name of God the most gracious the most merciful, thank God. We want to tell the whole world that the Palestinians are a great nation, a nation that deserves the right, just like all the other nations, for freedom. We thank the Egyptian people for their support of the Palestinians, and this is a first step, to release all the Palestinian prisoners, and again we thank the great Egyptian nation for their continued support.''
The prisoners were released in exchange for the freedom of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was held by Hamas for more than five years.
477 Palestinians due for release on Tuesday, with a further 550 expected to be freed in a few months under in a second stage of the Egyptian-brokered agreement.
Nick Rowlands, Reuters.