crushes the enemies of Allah." He also praised Abd al-Hadi Rafa Ghanim for "divert[ing] a bus from its course and into a ravine near Jerusalem." He further added that "we mustn't forget the Knives Revolution... Our brothers Abd Al-Rahman Al-Dib and Khaled Al-Jei'di... In these streets, they would bring the Jews down, one after the other." In 2012, Hamas celebrated the anniversary of Gilad Shalit's release with a week of celebrations, and vowed to capture more Israeli soldiers. Official reactions Involved parties Israel: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the deal struck "the right balance" between Israeli security risks and the imperative of returning Shalit "to his family and people." In a televised address from Tel Nof Airbase, Netanyahu stated, "Today we are all united in joy and in pain." President Shimon Peres thanked Netanyahu for what he called the prime minister's "brave decision" and said it was a time to embrace the families who lost their loved ones in terrorist attacks. Opposition leader Tzipi Livni said she respected the government's decision and sent her blessings to the Shalit family and to all of Israel. Israeli chief rabbis Shlomo Amar and Yona Metzger released a joint statement welcoming the deal. Palestinian territories: Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas expressed support for the deal and said efforts would continue to secure the release of the remaining prisoners being held in Israel. Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki questioned the timing of the swap deal, implying it may have been intended to marginalize the role of the Palestinian Authority and Abbas. Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal hailed the deal as a victory for the Palestinian people. Abu Obaida, the spokesman of Hamas' armed wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, said in a televised statement in Gaza that "We will not give up until prisons are shut down. A chapter has ended but there are other chapters." Intergovernmental organizations UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon described the prisoner exchange deal as a "significant humanitarian breakthrough" and expressed hope that the event would have a far-reaching and positive impact on the stalled Middle East peace process. A spokesman for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed the office's concern that shipping prisoners abroad is in breach of international law. Quartet on the Middle East representative Tony Blair said the return of Gilad Shalit was "a moment of great joy" for Gilad Shalit and his family as well