Prisoners' families wait anxiously for Shalit deal

The families of Palestinian prisoners currently serving time in Israeli jails who may be released in exchange for Gilad Shalit are waiting anxiously for a deal.

Naji Abu Hamid is closely following developments, hoping that at least one of his five brothers who are currently jailed in Israel will be released in the Shalit exchange.

Four of the brothers are serving life terms. Nasser Abu Hamid, one of the founders of Fatah's Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, is serving eight life sentences.

Naji Abu Hamid lives in the Al-Amari refugee camp, near the West Bank city of Ramallah.

He says that no one has told him which of his brothers may be on the list, but he expects that Nasser will be freed.

"Obviously, someone who has been given such a lengthy prison term could be released only through a deal like this, so expectations are high and the tension is mounting every day," he said.

When asked how he would feel if his brother were expelled to the Gaza Strip or an Arab country, or perhaps to Europe, he responded, "I have no problem with my brother being far from home. The important thing is that he be freed."