Jerusalem: The father of an Israeli soldier freed this week in a prisoner swap with Hamas says his son is doing well but "endured harsh things" while held by Palestinian militants in Gaza.

Noam Schalit made the remarks on Friday evening after spending the Jewish holiday of Simhat Torah reunited with his son, Sgt Gilad Schalit. The comments provide the first details of how Schalit was treated during his 5 years of captivity.

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Zuhair Al-Qaisi, a member of a Palestinian militant group that captured Schalit in 2006, told the Al-Hayat newspaper that Schalit was treated well. Schalit was freed Tuesday for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners. Many of the hundreds of prisoners released in the first part of the two stage swap have called for more violence and abductions.

PTI