Israel Frees 550 Palestinian Prisoners, Completing Shalit Deal
Israel on Sunday freed 550 Palestinian prisoners, completing the second phase of the deal which saw Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit freed in October, Palestinians said.
Officials in the West Bank city of Ramallah said that the main contingent of freed prisoners entered the city aboard a fleet of buses at around 10:00 pm (2000 GMT), where thousands of well-wishers awaited them at the Palestinian presidential headquarters.
A small group of 41 crossed at about the same time into the Gaza Strip, an Agence France Presse photographer said.
An Israeli prison official said that another two were taken to the border with neighboring Jordan and two more released at Atarot, in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.
One of the Jerusalem residents freed was Salah Hamouri, a French-Palestinian who was convicted of plotting to assassinate a Jewish religious leader and had been due to complete his seven-year sentence in March.
Among the 550 were six women and 55 minors aged 14-17, according to U.N. child agency UNICEF, which welcomed the youngsters' release.
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