NEW : Shimon Peres : `` Our eyes are wet and our hearts are proud '' Shalit told Egypt 's state-owned Nile TV after his release Tuesday that it was `` exciting '' to meet many of the people who `` have worked very hard in order to release me . Palestinians abducted Israeli soldier Shalit in 2006 when he was 19 . The kidnapping of the soldier, who is now serving a life sentence for his role in an attack on Israelis, has been one of Israel's most controversial cases. Israel inked a deal to get him back in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners .
NEW : Shimon Peres : `` Our eyes are wet and our hearts are proud '' Palestinians abducted Israeli soldier Shalit in 2006 when he was 19 . The kidnapping of the soldier, who is now serving a life sentence for his role in an attack on Israelis, has been one of Israel's most controversial cases. Israel inked a deal to get him back in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners .