David Meidan, the government's chief negotiator on the Gilad Shalit prisoner swap flew to Cairo on Saturday night to finalize the deal that will bring the Israeli soldier home. Meidan is expected to finalize details of the release during his meetings in Cairo. According to initial plans on Tuesday Shalit will be taken across Gaza's southwestern border into Egypt, likely via the Rafah crossing, where he will be met by Egyptian security officials and a small Israeli delegation to verify his identity and ensure he is healthy. There is a possibility that he will be transferred directly to Israel. He will then be taken by plane to an IDF base while groups of Palestinian prisoners are transferred from Ketziot to the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, Egypt and countries abroad. At the army base, Shalit will meet his family and undergo more comprehensive medical exams. From there he is expected to be flown to the Tel Nof Air Force Base near Rehovot for a low key reception where he will be greeted by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak. He will then be flown by helicopter to his home in Mitzpe Hila in the Upper Galilee. Over the weekend the Defense Ministry decided to recognize Shalit as a disabled army veteran entitling him to medical assistance and other benefits for life. This will allow for a swift discharge from the army and he will not be required to appear before committees to receive the approval.