Shalit's father to Halutz: Return Gilad alive

IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz arrived Monday afternoon at the home of the Shalit family in Mitzpe Hila in northern Israel. Halutz met with Noam and Aviva Shalit, the parents of Corporal Gilad Shalit, who was kidnapped last Sunday during an attack on an Israel Defense Forces post near Kerem Shalom.

During the visit, Halutz said: "I support the position that says we will not surrender to blackmail and to any ultimatum presented by any terror organization."

Noam Halutz turned to the chief of staff and asked him to make sure that his son returns home safely.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert cancelled his participation in the Kadima faction meeting at the Knesset, which was scheduled for 2 p.m. Kadima officials said that Olmert made the decision following the recent developments in the abduction affair. Defense Minister Amir Peretz is expected to take part in the Labor Party's faction meeting.

According to Halutz, "we see the people who hold Gilad, or their senders or commanders, as directly responsible, each and every one of them, for Gilad's health, and we will do everything possible and needed in order to release Gilad soon."

Chief of staff arrives (Photo: Avihu Shapira)

Halutz added that "the security and diplomatic officials are now looking into the message. Israel's stance, which I support, says that we will not give in to any extortion set by any terror organization."

Later, the chief of staff said that he was unable to address the options being considered by Israel in its efforts to release the soldier.

"The diplomatic and security echelon will weigh all the considerations, and when we decide to operate we will inform the public on what was decided," he said.

Asked how long the affair may take, Halutz said that "we should hope for a quick and good ending, but build on the assumption that it may also take a long time."

Captive's father: We have a bad feeling

The Shalit family continues to hope for the best. Referring to the turmoil the family is subjected to, Gilad's father Noam said: "We have a bad feeling here all the time, so there are no ups and downs."

After the army chief left, Noam Shalit spoke to reporters and said: "I asked Halutz, as the number one soldier in the IDF, to represent Gilad's interest, as he is a fighting soldier who was sent by the army. We asked him to represent Gilad's interest, that he will return home safely, opposite the State of Israel and the decision makers."

Referring to the ultimatum, the father said that it was being checked by the authorized officials.

"When there is something concrete, we will be updated. Things are published on the internet all the time, but we cannot trust what we read," he said.

Asked by Ynet about the report in the al-Hayat newspaper, according to which an Egyptian delegation met with Gilad as part of the mediation efforts, the father said that the information was not verified.

He also addressed remarks made by Shin Bet Chief Yuval Diskin at the government meeting, according to which the affair may take a few more weeks, and maybe even months.

"Those are speculations. The Shin Bet chief also estimates. No one can know for sure how long it will take," he said.

Ultimatum to expire at 6 a.m.

In Mitzpe Hila, the Shalit family members woke up to another tense morning, following the reports the family received from IDF representative and the negotiations team. The media also sent more representatives to the community.

Palestinian terror groups that abducted Gilad Shalit gave Israel until 6 a.m. on Tuesday to meet their demands for the release of Palestinian prisoners, threatening unspecified consequences if it refuses.

"Military Communique 3" Issued on Monday by Hamas' armed wing and two other factions said: "If the enemy does not agree to our humanitarian demands ... We will regard this case as closed."

In previous statements, the groups demanded that Israel, as a first stage, release Palestinian women and youths in its prisons in exchange for information about Corporal Gilad Shalit, kidnapped by gunmen in a cross-border raid on June 25.

The groups—Hamas' Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the Popular Resistance Committees and the previously unknown Islamic Army—have also called on Israel to free 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.

"We give the Zionist enemy until 6 a.m., Tomorrow, Tuesday, the fourth of July," the latest communique said.

Unless their demands were met, the factions said, "the enemy will bear full responsibility for future consequences."

Officials at the prime minister's office are looking into the ultimatum, but have decided not to issue a public response at this point. Deliberations regarding the document are being held at the highest levels and the statement is believed to be authentic.

Jerusalem officials said Monday that they believe the prime minister will not revise his position regarding negotiations with terror organizations, and that the ultimatum is not likely to be met.

Ilan Marciano contributed to the report