Palestinians celebrate the prisoner swap deal between Israel and Hamas on Tuesday, October 18. Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was released Tuesday morning in exchange for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners.
Helicopters transporting Shalit and his family to their home town of Mitzpe Hila, Israel, arrive on Tuesday.
Israel released 477 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails shortly before Shalit was released, the first group of Palestinians swapped for Shalit's freedom.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Netanyahu, Gilad Shalit and his father, Noam Shalit, walk together at Tel Nof Airbase on Tuesday. Shalit was given medical checks that showed he was in good health.
Israelis were reacting after seeing the first images of Shalit on TV after his release.
Supporters of Shalit celebrate his release at his family's protest tent outside the prime minister's residence in Jerusalem.
Shalit learned about a week ago that he was going to be released, though he felt it for the last month, he told Egyptian television after his release.
Palestinian prisoners cross into the southern Gaza Strip after being released from Israeli prisons.
A Palestinian prisoner hugs relatives as she speaks on a mobile phone in Ramallah, West Bank, after her release on Tuesday.