GAZA CITY, Oct 6: The spiritual leader of Hamas today returned to a tumultuous homecoming in the Gaza Strip after being freed by Israel in exchange for two Mossad agents captured in a bungled assassination in Jordan.The swap of Sheik Ahmed Yassin and the Israeli agents was worked out in nearly two weeks of secret talks between Israel and Jordan.It deeply embarrassed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu because it contradicts his credo of being tough on terrorism.Yassin, the founder of the radical Palestinian Hamas movement, was released from Israel's Ayalon prison five days ago and flown to Jordan for medical treatment. Yassin had served eight years of a life sentence for ordering the killing of Palestinians collaborating with Israel.
