Shalit's commander: Not enough has been done to free him
Captain (Res.) Yoav Belkes slams efforts to secure release of abducted soldier as inadequate. When a soldier sacrifices his life for the country leaders are expected to fight for him, yet 'it's not happening,' he says
"When a soldier sacrifices his life for the country, you expect them to fight for him," Captain (Res.) Yoav Belkes told Ynet. "It's not happening. To me it seems that something is breaking around here."
'Nightmare of every commander'
Referring to Shalit, Belkes says that he quickly realized the young soldier was shy, but also very popular with his peers, adding that he cannot forget for a moment the images of the damaged tank left behind in the wake of the abduction and killing of two other soldiers.
IDF troops on day of Shalit's abduction (Photo: Reuters)
"I heard reports that a soldier is missing, and I thought that they simply didn't know where to search for him in the tank and that's why they can't find him," Belkes says. "Yet when I arrived at the scene…I slowly started realizing there's a chance one of the soldiers was kidnapped. I saw the tank, the scene, and realized two crewmembers were killed…it took a few more minutes until I realized Gilad was abducted."
"This is the nightmare of every commander," Belkes adds. "They talked to us all the time about the possibility of abduction…this is very difficult to digest, even today, two years later."
'As though my younger brother is in captivity'
Belkes says that immediately after the incident he sent all the unit's tanks to the area, in order to give young troops the feeling that "we are moving on and not giving up." The company continued to serve in the Gaza Strip for long months after the abduction, he says, in the hopes that one day the soldiers will be able to free Shalit and bring him home.
"There were certainly soldiers who had a tougher time…we spoke about feelings, thoughts, and particularly the fact that with every mission we're protecting our home and we know that Gilad is in the Strip and we're not forgetting him," Belkes says. "We spoke about him and mentioned him. He remained a part of us at all times."
Belkes says that he keeps Gilad in his thoughts all the time and supports his family's struggle to secure his release.
"For me, it's as though my younger brother is in captivity," he says.
