Shalit's father sends condolences to Hamas leader
Noam Shalit sends 'personal letter of condolence' to Hamas strongman Mahmoud al-Zahar following his son's death this week while Hamas reiterates it is treating Shalit's captive son humanely
The father kidnapped Israeli soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit said Thursday that he sent a letter of condolence to the Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar in Gaza after the latter's son, also a Hamas operative, was killed in an IDF strike.
Al-Zahar confirmed that he had received the letter from Noam Shalit, whose son was abducted in a cross-border raid by Palestinian operatives affiliated with Hamas in June 2006.
''It was a personal letter of condolences,'' Shalit told The Associated Press on Thursday. He said he did not appeal to Zahar to help free his 21-year-old son, but declined to disclose the text of the letter.
Al-Zahar's 24-year-old son Hussam was one of 19 Palestinians killed Tuesday in an Israeli operation against Gaza rocket squads. Scenes of al-Zahar weeping as he kissed his dead son's forehead were shown on Israeli news broadcasts Tuesday.
''Our hearts break when our sons are killed but we don't have any other choice,'' al-Zahar said. ''It hurts but we have a homeland and holy sites that are more important than them.''
Zahar's eldest son, Khaled, was also killed in a botched IDF attempt on the Hamas leader's life in 2003.
Zahar heads Hamas' military wing, which has killed more than 250 Israelis in suicide bombings in recent years. He is widely believed to have masterminded Hamas' bloody June takeover of Gaza.
Ayman Taha, a Hamas spokesman, suggested Thursday that Shalit had not been maltreated by his captors.
''Islam instructs us to treat war prisoners well, to keep them safe and not to harm them,'' Taha said. But he cautioned that the Israeli operations in Gaza could drag Shalit's captivity out for years.
Hamas' supreme leader, Khaled Mashaal, said from Damascus on Wednesday that the military action in Gaza Tuesday would hurt chances that Hamas would release Shalit.
