11 Palestinians arrive in Ankara after prisoner swap

Eleven Palestinians were brought to the Turkish capital of Ankara early on Wednesday after a prisoner swap between Israel and Hamas, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported. Palestinian Ambassador to Turkey Nabil Maarouf and some Turkish Foreign Ministry officials welcomed the Palestinian prisoners at Ankara's Esenboga Airport. It is not known how long the 11 Palestinians, including a woman, will stay in Turkey. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said earlier that Turkey would shelter 42 Palestinian prisoners seen as not appropriate to return to the Palestinian territories or to other countries. Speaking to reporters at the Esenboga Airport, Ambassador Maarouf extended gratitude to Turkey on behalf of the Palestinian authorities and President Mahmoud Abbas for its support for the Palestinian people and the authorities. "I hope we could continue to see Turkey's support until Palestine enjoys total freedom," Maarouf said. Maarouf said the released Palestinian prisoners would undergo a health check-up, adding that the Turkish government would decide on where the Palestinians would stay in Turkey. More than 450 Palestinians were transferred from Israeli prisons to the West Bank and Gaza earlier Wednesday. In the light of the swap deal reached between Israel and the Islamic Hamas movement, Israel began to release on Tuesday 1,027 Palestinian and Arab prisoners in exchange for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was abducted by Hamas' armed wing in 2006. Shalit was handed over to the Israeli authorities earlier Tuesday.