Israel soldier expected to be back Tuesday
An Israeli soldier captured by Gaza militants will probably return home Tuesday, a spokeswoman for his family Friday said Friday, ending a five-year ordeal for his family and the country.
Sgt. Gilad Schalit will be freed by the militant Islamic Hamas in exchange for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails in a deal first announced last week by the two sides. The date from the family spokeswoman was the highest level indication so far of the timing for the first phase of the exchange.
Spokeswoman Tami Shienkman said that the Israeli military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz, told the Schalit family the news late Thursday evening in their home in northern Israel.
"If everything goes smoothly, on Tuesday he will be home," she told The Associated Press.
In Gaza, Hamas officials also said the exchange would take place Tuesday.
In the first phase, Schalit is set to be swapped for some 450 Palestinian prisoners. About 550 prisoners would be freed two months later, according to the deal.
The military chief of staff warned that unexpected events could delay the deal, Shienkman said.
Schalit's release would end an ordeal for his family and close a painful chapter for Israel, which was mesmerized by his plight since he was seized in a cross-border raid and dragged into Gaza in 2006 by Hamas-backed militants. Two Israeli soldiers were killed in the raid.
Most 18-year-old Israelis are conscripted into the army, and many do many years of annual reserve duty afterward. They see their government as responsible for ensuring that captured soldiers are freed. Such pressure has led Israel to make several lopsided prisoner exchanges over the years.
Palestinians, meanwhile, were preparing for the return of their imprisoned relatives.
"If God is willing, we have an appointment with a great Palestinian national wedding, a historical moment, this coming Tuesday," said Gaza Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, referring to huge celebrations expected when the prisoners are released. "We welcome our heroes that are returning from the occupation's jails," he said.
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