In pictures: Prisoner swap

1 of 10 Sheikh Obeid, leader of the Lebanese Hezbollah, is released from jail to be flown to Germany for the prisoner exchange.

2 of 10 Meanwhile, the remains of three Israeli soldiers killed by Hezbollah are put on a plane in Beirut.

3 of 10 They are accompanied by Israeli businessman Elhanan Tannenbaum, released from captivity by the militants.

4 of 10 At Germany's Cologne-Wahn military airport the planes from Beirut (foreground) and Tel Aviv (in hangar to right) arrive.

5 of 10 Jubilant Palestinian prisoners await their release on buses at Israeli checkpoints in the West Bank and Gaza.

6 of 10 They are allowed to cross once doctors have checked the identities of the dead Israeli soldiers in Cologne.

7 of 10 More than 400 then crossed through into the West Bank and Gaza Strip where they were reunited with loved ones.

8 of 10 On Israel's border with Lebanon, Israeli troops began the handover of remains of Hezbollah fighters to the Red Cross.

9 of 10 In Ramallah, Palestinian detainees were taken to the compound of Yasser Arafat.

10 of 10 Many Palestinians feel the swap is unfair because some prisoners were due to be released this year anyway.