Shalit visits family of killed tank commander

Nearly six years after Hanan Barak was killed in Kerem Shalom incident, Gilad Shalit pays emotional visit to his family, tells them he loved their son

Yossi Yehoshua|Published: 01.31.12 , 09:53

The Barak family of Arad received a special visitor on Sunday – former captive soldier Gilad Shalit.

They never met him, only heard stories about him from their son, Hanan, who was Gilad's tank commander and was killed during the Kerem Shalom incident on June 25, 2006.

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Hanan's parents, Nela and Dudi, and his sister Atara, hosted Shalit in their house in Arad, where they shared stories about the time Hanan and Gilad's spent together in the tank. "It was clear that we were going to meet Gilad upon his return from captivity," said Nela. "I knew Gilad also wanted to meet us, but we waited for his condition to improve first."

Of the emotional meeting, Nela said: "There were hugs and tears. Gilad told us he loved Hanan. He still looks skinny, but the color is back in his cheeks."

Nela Barak and her family took an active part in the campaign to release Gilad, and attended numerous rallies. "The meeting was very emotional for us and gave us closure," she said.

In an interview with Yedioth Ahronoth a day before Shalit's release, Hanan's sister, Atara, said that on Saturdays when her brother would return home from the army he would talk about Shalit, and was particularly worried about him because of his shy nature. "Hanan wanted to be there for Gilad. The only thing Hanan cared about was the wellbeing of his soldiers," she said.

Gilad's parents, Noam and Aviva, regularly attend Hanan's memorial services. This year, the Barak family hopes to see Gilad join them.

Goel Beno, Danny Spektor and Reuven Weiss contributed to this report