Yahia Sinwar, a founding member of the Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigade, the military wing of Hamas, was the only high-ranking official among the hundreds of Palestinian prisoners exchanged on October 18 for detained Israeli solider Gilad Shalit.<br /><br />After 25 years in the Israeli prison system, Sinwar received a hero's welcome in Gaza upon his release. <br /><br />The prisoner swap has elevated the standing of the Al-Qassam Brigade fighters and, with it, leaders like Sinwar. <br /><br />He pledged to once again join the fight for Palestinian statehood should the situation call for it. <br /><br />Al Jazeera's Nicole Johnston reports from Gaza.
