"I hope this is the beginning of the end of the affair," Aviva Shalit, mother of captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit
told visitors to her home on Saturday, the day after a video
of her son, who is being held in Gaza by Hamas, was released.
The mother preferred to stay out of the public eye and remained in her home in Mitzpe Hila, and was visited by friends and family.
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Most of the visitors left the family's home Saturday afternoon, allowing parents Aviva and Noam to get some rest after the past emotional 24-hours since the video was received and published.
Earlier, the soldier's father Noam took a number of pictures out of the family photo album from the trip to the Golan Heights Gilad mentioned in the video.
"I don't know why he chose to mention this specific trip, but they must have given him the chance to talk about a family gathering, and this must have been the first one he remembered," the father said.
Picture of Gilad Shalit on family trip
Shalit family visitors said the atmosphere in the home was quiet, but that the tension and concern for Gilad's fate was clearly felt. "They are hoping that the video was the 'promo' to the real thing – Gilad's return home safe and sound," said one of the visitors.
In the video, the soldier can be seen holding an edition of the Gaza-based newspaper Falasteen dated September 14.
Noam Shalit said there was still a long road ahead before his son is released. "Our main concern is that this will be dragged out longer, even for a few years. Even after the release of the video, there is no breakthrough and we are not on the brink of a deal," he said.
He added, "This was a positive step… but the tape has no influence on the struggle. We will consider our next steps according to developments on the ground and according to necessity."
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