Guess who we met on the dancefloor ... Gilad Shalit

"He looked good," said Birmingham University student Adam Monty, 21. "He was still quite skinny but it was so nice to see him living a normal life again and out with friends."

A Leeds student, Ronen Feiner, added: "It was a complete shock to see him, he seemed to be having a good night and doing his own thing."

Rob Sciama wrote on Twitter: "Clubbing with Gilad Shalit. How many years have I dreamed I could say that?"

"Someone rushed over to tell me that Gilad Shalit was in the same club, breathing the same air and partying right beside me," wrote blogger Lauren Hasseck. "I was stunned, speechless, in absolute awe. I simply couldn't believe that I was partying with a real hero."

Mr Feiner added: "I thought to myself that his Seder with his family - the first one since his captivity - must have been a strange one, reading a story of how Jews escaped the Egyptians to gain their freedom."

"It feels good," Gilad's father Noam told Ynet. "It's the first time since Gilad was kidnapped when we can really celebrate the holiday. This time it truly feels like a feast of freedom."