TEL AVIV // Hundreds of Palestinians were freed from Israeli jails yesterday in a landmark prisoner exchange deal in return for an Israeli soldier captured and held in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
In the first stage of the swap, which began shortly after sunrise, 477 Palestinian prisoners were taken to the West Bank, Gaza or countries including Jordan, Syria and Qatar. Simultaneously, Gilad Shalit, who had been held by Hamas since June 2006, was taken across Gaza's frontier with Egypt and then to Israel.
A second stage of the deal calls for the release of a further 550 Palestinian detainees in about two months.
The exchange capped more than three years of tense negotiations between Israel and Hamas and came less than a week after the two sides announced a surprise pact mediated chiefly by neighbouring Egypt's army-backed interim government.
The prisoners - regarded among Palestinians as heroic fighters in the struggle for national resistance - were greeted with triumphant and emotional celebrations, flags, singing and dancing in Gaza and the West Bank.
The exchange was not without its hitches. Hundreds of Palestinians who were awaiting the prisoners' release at a West Bank checkpoint angrily hurled rocks at Israeli forces, who fired tear gas back at them, after the military announced by loudspeaker that the detainees had been taken to a different checkpoint in a last-minute change of plans.
Nevertheless, there was no clouding the celebratory mood, especially in Gaza, where Hamas declared a public holiday and arranged for a mass ceremony at a square in Gaza City attended by tens of thousands of flag-waving Gazans.
A large stage was decorated with a mural depicting the capture of Mr Shalit. Many in the crowd chanted "The people want a new Gilad!" in an indication that they felt more Israeli soldiers should be taken hostage to obtain the release of more than 4,000 Palestinians still in Israeli jails.
In the West Bank, dozens of prisoners were taken to the Muqata, the seat of the Palestinian Authority's presidency, where they were greeted by a cheering crowd. The ceremony was a rare show of unity between Hamas and the secular Fatah, which holds sway in the West Bank and whose security forces had cracked down on Hamas activists before the two movements announced a historic unity agreement last April.
Mahmoud Abbas, the Fatah leader and president of the Palestinian Authority, shared the stage with three Hamas leaders and praised the prisoners as "freedom fighters", and the four men raised their clasped hands in triumph. In another sign of reconciliation, released Hamas prisoners were permitted to drape themselves in the group's green flag.
In Israel, Gilad Shalit also received a hero's welcome but the ceremony had a sombre tone.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, told an audience at the air force base where Mr Shalit was taken to be reunited with his family that the day was joyful as well as "difficult".
Many Israelis believe a heavy price was paid for his return. Opponents of the deal, mostly relatives of Israelis who died in Palestinian attacks, launched a last-minute bid to halt the exchange by petitioning the Supreme Court, but their case was rejected late on Monday.
Some analysts have said the swap appeared to have boosted the profile of Hamas at the expense of Fatah, possibly giving the Islamist group a stronger hand in reconciliation talks between the two factions.
There appeared to be no signs from Israel or Hamas that the deal could help to break the deadlock between the Jewish state and the Palestinians in the peace process.
Nevertheless, the swap inspired some optimism in the international community that it could have a positive impact on the stalled negotiations.
William Hague, the British foreign secretary, on a visit to North Africa, said the prisoner exchange "provides a glimmer of hope in an often bleak scene that a successful negotiation can be carried out on this difficult subject". He said it was important for Israelis and Palestinians to return to negotiations and "to approach it in the same way".
Tony Blair, representative of the Middle East Quartet of the United States, United Nations, European Union and Russia, said the exchange was an opportunity for a "revival of credibility in a peace process we really need to prioritise".
