The first convoy of Palestinian prisoners could be seen Tuesday morning leaving Israel's Ofer military base outside the West Bank city of Ramallah and waiting outside the Beitunia military checkpoint for an order to cross into Palestinian-controlled territory, witnesses said.
No confirmation was immediately available of some reports that the Israeli involved in the prisoner swap, Gilad Shalit, had arrived at the Gaza Strip-Egypt border crossing of Rafah or the nearby Egypt-Israel border crossing of Kerem Shalom, dpa reported.
Hundreds of relatives of the Palestinian prisoners were waiting on the Palestinian side of the Beitunia checkpoint, carrying Palestinian flags and the portraits of their incarcerated family members.
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