Ehud Goldwasser z"l.
Eldad Regev z"l.
Coffins believed to containing the bodies of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev are handed over to the Red Cross in exchange for Lebanese prisoners held by Israel at Naqoura border point with Israel, Wednesday July 16, 2008.
Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas handed over the bodies of two Israeli soldiers and trucks carrying the remains of some 199 Lebanese and Palestinian fighters began crossing into Lebanon on Wednesday, setting in motion a dramatic prisoner swap between the bitter enemies. Family and friends outside the homes of the two captured Israeli soldiers burst into tears early Wednesday when TV images showed two black coffins believed to contain their remains. Though officials had suspected Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev were dead, the sight of the coffins was the first concrete sign of the young men's fate.
Murderers freed.In this photo released by the Israel Prison Authority, Lebanese militant prisoner Samir Kantar, [despicable murderer] third from left, is seen with four other [murderers] as they stand next to a border policeman before leaving the Hadarim prison near the Israeli coastal city of Netanya early Wednesday, July 16, 2008. [These murderers], including Kantar who was convicted in one of the most brutal attacks in Israel's history, were taken from an Israeli prison before dawn on Wednesday and driven toward the Lebanese border, where they were later to be traded for two Israeli soldiers captured by Lebanese guerrillas two years ago.
KIRYAT MOTZKIN, Israel, July 16 -- Israel and the Shiite militia Hezbollah on Wednesday began an extraordinary exchange, with two coffins containing the bodies of abducted Israeli soldiers swapped for five Lebanese [murderers].
After receiving the coffins, Israeli officials positively identified the bodies as those of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, who were abducted by Hezbollah almost two years ago to the day in a dramatic cross-border raid that sparked a month-long war.
Several hours later, Samir Kuntar, [despicable animal] who was responsible for the deaths of four Israelis in 1979, crossed into Lebanon along with four [other murderers] captured during the 2006 conflict with Lebanon.
Even before the identification of the Israeli bodies was confirmed, the country went into mourning, with friends and neighbors of the soldiers gathering to light candles of remembrance, radio stations playing sad songs...
...Although Israeli officials had said weeks ago that the soldiers were almost certainly dead -- and that fate had long been feared -- televised images of the coffins crossing the border were still greeted by wails of grief just before 10 a.m. when they were shown here, in Regev's hometown.
"This is a family that has been swinging between hope and despair. Now they're in despair..." said Chaim Tzuri, the mayor, after emerging from the family's apartment. "All of Israel mourns with them."
The reaction on the Lebanese side was far different, with Hezbollah extending a red-carpet welcome for Kuntar and the four others....
Hours before the prisoners' expected released, an elaborate welcoming ceremony was already getting underway in the border town of Naqoura. Hezbollah fighters on horseback were poised to celebrate the arrival of Kuntar and the four others...
Banners tried to draw the contrast, with a picture of Olmert depicted with his hand on his forehead and the caption "humiliation guaranteed."
"Lebanon is shedding tears of joy," stated one banner.
...An even larger rally is scheduled in Beirut for later in the day, expected to include Lebanon's top public officials.
Hamas, the radical Islamist movement that controls the Gaza Strip, celebrated the exchange as well and said it had been encouraged to "capture Zionist soldiers, in order to swap them with our sons in prison." Already, Hamas has one Israeli soldier in custody, Gilad Shalit. He is believed to be alive, and Israel has been trying to win his release as part of Egyptian-mediated cease-fire talks.
..."I feel that this is a victory for terror," said Ron Keren, whose brother, Danny Haran, died in Kuntar's attack. "We all know that this story is not over, and we will hear from him more in the future."
The mother, 82-year-old Nina Keren, said the release of Kuntar made it feel like "it all happened yesterday. I can't understand how my government could make such a deal." Standing in her living room and pointing to pictures of the son and two granddaughters she lost in Kuntar's attack, she said she was also having trouble understanding how Lebanon could be planning such a rapturous welcome: "He's a hero? Because he killed a four-year-old? Because he smashed her head with his rifle?"
But she said she is having no trouble understanding the position of the Regev and Goldwasser families, who waged a very public campaign to have the soldiers brought home, no matter their condition. Both families were secluded in their homes Wednesday, mourning privately.
...Shalom Millo, owner of a hardware store directly beneath the Regev home, said Olmert had blundered badly by giving up such a notorious murderer in exchange for two dead men....
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