Gilad Shalit visited by IDF medical officers on morning after release

The morning after he returned to Mitzpe Hila in the hills of Galilee after five years’ incarceration in a Hamas cell, the Israeli army conscript took his first stroll, supported by his mother and wearing dark glasses against the unaccustomed bright sunlight.
In the coming days and weeks he is expected to be debriefed on his captivity by both military intelligence and the secret service, Mossad. But military officials say they want to leave him to recover his health with his family first, and will be guided by his medical condition.
When told his condition was broadly “stable", he is said to have replied: “I expected you to be surprised by my good condition.”
But in fact he is understood to be showing clear signs of his long imprisonment, in which conditions were said at first to be “poor” though he has not even been questioned on this aspect of his captivity yet.
He has difficulty climbing the stairs. His palour is attributed to the lack of light.


He was held in solitary confinement, but saw his captors regularly and spoke to them.
The Israeli authorities are confident that he can return to full health, partly because of their long experience in dealing with returned prisoners.
There are a number of support groups for those who have been held by Israel’s many enemies, including some in similar conditions to Shalit’s.
He told the French ambassador, Christophe Bigot, that latterly he had been able to watch nature programme and the Tour de France, of which he was a fan, on television.
Shalit has dual French nationality through his grandmother, and France was prominent in calling for his release. Mr Bigot was one of the few outsiders admitted to pay a short visit on Tuesday night after his return home.


Speaking to reporters, Shalit’s father said later Tuesday that his son was suffering from a few minor injuries, including shrapnel wounds he sustained during his capture, as well as the effects of lack of sunlight, but other than that he was in good health.


Shalit is to undergo rehabilitation that his father said he hoped would be as swift as possible.

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Shalit's apparent physical weakness was on display during an interview with Egypt TV conducted following his exit from Gaza, in which Shalit, 25, looked tired and dazed, hesitating as he replied to questions from the Egyptian reporter.


Speaking through a translator, Shalit said he was in good health and that he hoped his release in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons would lead to peace between the two peoples.


Upon his arrival in Mitzpe Hila later Tuesday, masses welcomed Shalit, filling the streets in a carnival-like parade singing "Heveinu Shalom Aleichim" and marching with flags as the 25-year-old Shalit was driven up to his house for the first time in five years.


Supporters who lined the street threw flowers at the IDF vehicle which transported the Shalit family to their home.


Israel freed 1,027 Palestinian and Israeli Arab prisoners to get Shalit back, including many who had been involved in terror attacks on Israeli civilians. The deal had been contested by Israelis who had lost family members in the attacks perpetrated by these convicted terrorists.