CAIRO - Freed Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was not forced to grant an interview to the Egyptian TV, a media official said on Wednesday, adding that Shalit consented to appear on the Egyptian TV. Shalit, who spent five years under the captivity of Palestinian Hamas Movement, was released on Tuesday in a swap deal whereby 1,027 Palestinian prisoners were to be set free. The release of 477 of them took place on Tuesday and the rest will be freed later on. Tuesday marked the successful completion of the first stage of a complex prisoner exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas which saw the return home of Shalit. Ibrahim el-Sayyad, the head of the Egyptian TV news sector, said that a veteran anchor and a translator were carefully chosen to make that interview. El-Syyad said that he urged the assigned TV crew to observe the highest level of professional performance. He described the interview as 'professional and distinguished'. He refuted that the Egyptian TV had monopolised coverage of the swap event. El-Sayyad's statement came after Israelis reacted angrily over the Egyptian TV's interview with Shalit.
