Week after abduction: Waiting for a sign

A week has passed since Corporal Gilad Shalit was kidnapped from his outpost in Kerem Shalom and at home, his family is waiting with baited breath.

The Shalit family spent the Sabbath at their home in Mizpeh Hila. During the course of the day, they were visited by family members, acquaintances, friends and other visitors.

According to the soldier's uncle, Bezalel Raz, the family feels that Israel is supporting them and wishes to thank the nation.

"We’ve received a lot of support, from all around the world, everyone is trying to help, but the only thing that would help at this moment would be to see Gilad," he told Ynet.

Egypt's sudden involvement gave the family a ray of hope, for which father Noam Shalit asked to thank President Mubarak. But Gilad's uncle says that "despite the Egyptian involvement, we don't see that any progress has been made. The critical point for us is that, since the abduction, we've received no sign of life and we have no idea of his condition."

On the other side of the country, Israel Defense Forces soldiers are standing by at Gaza's northern borders, as part of Operation Summer Rains, which was designed to bring about Shalit's release; they have yet to receive their marching orders.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Peretz will discuss plans for continued operations, but it is quite possible that they will decide to move on to the next step, leaving the IDF sitting on the fence for now.

The government will convene, following Olmert and Peretz's meeting, to discuss the operation and receive briefings from the IDF Intelligence Branch and the Shin Bet.

Updates expected from Omar Suleiman

US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice called the defense minister and asked to be updated with details of the operation. During the conversation, Peretz pointed an accusing finger at Syria and asked that pressure be exerted on Hamas' politburo chief Khaled Mashaal via President Assad.

Even US President George W. Bush got into the thick of the things and spoke about the subject for half an hour with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. According to him, "the soldier's release is the key point to ending the crisis."

Political sources in Jerusalem explained that Israel intends to continue putting pressure on Hamas for Shalit's release. Likewise, the pressure is aimed at stopping terror activities and, in particular, the launching for Qassam rockets at Sderot, Ashkelon and western Negev communities.

Prior to making a decision on continued operations, government sources are waiting for updates from Egypt regarding contact this week between Egyptian Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman, and Khaled Mashaal, as well as updates from the United States, France and other countries involved in diplomatic efforts to facilitate the soldier's release.

Among the Palestinians, the rifts in the Palestinian Authority's upper echelon are tending towards internal crisis. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas published a harsh and outstanding statement, in which he said that "Egyptian efforts are facing grave difficulties because there is no point of contact for him among Hamas members, who are, regardless, unable to come to any decision."

Still, Abbas said "we are not at a total impasse. We continue to look for other solutions and hope to find one quickly."

International Response

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni will brief other ministers regarding recent developments in Israel's place in the international community. According to a situational analysis by the ministry's director-general and other senior officials, there has not been a general outcry against Israel's actions, as is often seen among the international community. However, this past weekend, there were definite fissures in international support for Israel.

The government is aware that continued operations in Gaza may cause humanitarian problems. Already, hundreds of Palestinians are waiting at the Egyptian side of Rafah and are unable to return home. The difficult pictures from Gaza may complicate matters for Israel on the international front.

France has already demanded the release of Hamas officials arrested in the recent IDF operation and Scandinavian countries are aligning to oppose continued operations in Gaza. Finland, who currently serves as president of the European Union, also called for the release of the Hamas officials and opposed it as a way of releasing the kidnapped soldier.

Ronny Sofer contributed to the report