Almog, now 32, and many Israelis are struggling to reach acceptance that the deal involves the release of Palestinians convicted for deadly attacks in decades of violence between Israelis and Palestinians. "It was incredibly painful - something inside my heart broke," Almog told Reuters after the release of Jaradat, who was sentenced to life in prison for his planning of the 2003 bombing in the port city of Haifa.
However, he added, "the high price we need to pay, and that I am paying personally, is less important at this moment because live Israeli hostages are going to return home." Under the agreement, reached with mediation by Egypt and Qatar, and support from the United States, 33 children, women and older men will be handed over in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees, in a multi-phase process that could open the way to ending the war in Gaza. (Read More)
