The deal to release Gilad Shalit officially got underway early Tuesday morning. Gilad’s parents, Aviva and Noam, left their home in Mitzpe Hila shortly before 7:00 a.m. (Israel time).
Noam and Aviva will make their way to a nearby airstrip where they will be flown to the Air Force base in Tel Nof in central Israel. They will be accompanied by Gilad’s grandfather, Tzvi Shalit and Gilad’s siblings, Yoel and Hadas.
Overnight Monday, Israel began transferring the 450 terrorists who will be released in the first part of the deal. The prisoners were transferred to the Kerem Shalom crossing, from where they will cross into Egypt.
Gilad Shalit is expected to be transferred from Gaza to Egypt early Tuesday morning, where he will meet David Meidan, the Special Envoy who brokered his release. In addition, Gilad will meet with representatives of the International Red Cross.
Shortly afterwards, Gilad will return to Israeli territory, probably through the Kerem Shalom crossing. He will be taken to a nearby military camp where he will meet with IDF medical representatives who will examine him.
After an initial medical examination, a shower and putting on a new army uniform, Gilad will be documented by the IDF spokesman, and if his condition allows it, he will be flown by helicopter from to the Tel Nof base.
At Tel Nof, Shalit will meet Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and chief of staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz. The three will accompany him to an adjacent private room, where he will meet his family for the first time since his abduction in June of 2006.
Netanyahu and Barak are expected to say a few words and following this, Gilad and his family will be flown back to their home in Mitzpe Hila.