Hi there,

It is the job of the press to cover power, not cover for power—to hold those in power accountable by documenting what's happening on the ground and amplifying voices at the grassroots. In this critical moment, as attacks on the media escalate, we must continue to cover crackdowns on dissent, immigrants, the LGBTQ+ community, public health and academic freedom. Thanks to a group of generous donors, all donations made today will be DOUBLED, which means your $15 gift is worth $30. If our journalism is important to you, please donate today. Every dollar makes a difference. Thank you so much.

Democracy Now!
Amy Goodman

Non-commercial news needs your support.

We rely on contributions from you, our viewers and listeners to do our work. If you visit us daily or weekly or even just once a month, now is a great time to make your monthly contribution.

Please do your part today.

Donate

Israel and Hamas Confirm Prisoner Exchange Deal

HeadlineOct 12, 2011

Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas have confirmed a deal that will free over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Shalit has been held in Gaza since June 2006. The 1,027 Palestinians to be freed are among the more than 7,000 imprisoned inside Israel, many without charge. The Hamas leader in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, praised the deal at a celebratory rally.

Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas leader: “Young people, brothers, we have to begin from now to put in place all the arrangements necessary to welcome the liberated heroes who are coming back to their land, to their families. And we have to begin all the necessary arrangements that would suit this historical moment, the moment of a big victory.”

The original content of this program is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Please attribute legal copies of this work to democracynow.org. Some of the work(s) that this program incorporates, however, may be separately licensed. For further information or additional permissions, contact us.

Non-commercial news needs your support

We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work.
Please do your part today.
Make a donation
Top