Germany supports Shalit release

Germany has commended the deal Israel and Hamas have reached for the release of an Hamas-held IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, and Israel has thanked Germans for the role they played in the negotiations.

A German official in Berlin said Tuesday that Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle had lobbied for Shalit's release during a rare visit to Gaza in November. The official was not authorized to give his name, given the sensitive nature of the information. (AP)