Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Egyptian efforts in the prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas at a press conference Tuesday, saying that approving the agreement was difficult but necessary to release Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Netanyahu said the deal was to protect the security of the Israeli people, so he refused to release the leaders of Hamas detained in Israeli prisons. He described the return of Shalit to Israel as exciting, adding that Israel managed to achieve the best agreement under the current conditions. The Israeli Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, said that the agreement needed a lot of efforts to return Shalit to his home, which forced the Israeli government to offer precious concessions.