The First ever Prisoner Swap between Israel and Palestine took place at the Rafah Crossing

The first ever prisoner swap between Israelis and the radical Palestinian group Hamas took place at the Rafah crossing on 18 October 2011. Israel’s abducted soldier Gilad Shalit was handed over to Egyptian authorities and in exchange, 477 Palestinian prisoners were released by Israel. Israel and the radical outfit Hamas had signed the deal in the second week of October 2011.