Jerusalem, October 03: The Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit who was seized by Gaza militants in June 2006 appears in good health in a video handed over by his captors in exchange for the release of 20 Palestinian women prisoners.
The first video proof since his capture that Corporal Shalit is alive, and apparently of sound mind, yesterday showed him holding a copy of the pro-Hamas Arabic language newspaper Falasteen dated 14 September.
He also refers to a private family memory from six months before his capture in a cross-border raid which left two of his fellow soldiers dead.
The video was released for broadcast by the Shalit family after they watched it at their home in northern Israel as jubilant Palestinian families welcomed back 19 of the women – all but one in the West Bank – after they were freed from Israeli prisons. The 20th woman – and the second from Gaza – will be released tomorrow.
The exchange of the video for the prisoners was brokered by German mediators seen by both Hamas and Israel as bringing fresh impetus to negotiations for an eventual large-scale prisoner exchange in return for the freeing of Corporal Shalit.
In the two and half minute video, Corporal Shalit, 23, who looks gaunt and thin but otherwise in good condition, says in Hebrew, reading from a text: “I am Gilad, son of Aviva and Noam Shalit, brother of Hadas and Yoel, who live in Mitzpe Hila. My identification number is 300097029. Today is Monday, 14/9/2009.
As you can see, I am holding in my hand today’s edition of the newspaper Palestine [Falasteen], September 14, 2009, published in Gaza. I read newspapers in search of information about me. I hope to find some kind of information indicating that my release and return home is imminent. I have been waiting and hoping for a long time for the day that I am released.”
–Agencies