VIDEO - The Parents of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit, Noam and Aviva, have decided to publish Monday a letter addressed to their son and his captors, in a bid to bring to his release:
Our dear and sweet Gilad: Mom, dad, Yoel and Hadas are very concerned for you and wish to hear from you. We hope that you are healthy and feeling well, as best as it is possible in your condition. We hope that you can read these lines and we want you to know that the greatest efforts are being carried out so that you can return home to Hila and the Galilee, to your family, and your room that awaits you as soon as possible.
We want you to know that we are thinking about you all the time and hope that somehow you are doing ok and surviving these moments.
We are confident that whoever is holding you also has a family and that they know what we are going through and will know to keep you healthy and safe.
Love you and support you,
Mom and dad
While the Shalit family is clinging to every piece of information regarding Gilad’s whereabouts and condition, the first sign of life from Gilad came from a non-Israeli source: On Sunday morning a Popular Resistance Committees member told AFP that Shalit is alive and is being held by the organization.
“We kidnapped the soldier; he is in good condition,” the anonymous caller said, without disclosing any information on where exactly Shalt is being held.
However, in an official statement Popular Resistance members denied involvement in the soldier’s abduction.
Noam Shalit told reporters on Sunday “We are lamenting the death of Gilad’s two tank crew members and we send our condolences to the families. We do not know them personally, but Gilad told us about them. The most difficult thing for us is the uncertainty; it is all still fresh – only 24 hours have passed and different thoughts cross you mind. We are trying to imagine what Gilad is going through; we are fearful and concerned.
“We ask the kidnappers to take care of Gilad - this is what’s most important,” he said. “We believe that the kidnappers and all those involved in the kidnapping have families and children, and perhaps they will understand our pain in this situation; maybe this will bring about Gilad’s release.”
'We were always worried'
Noam Shalit continued: “I am in no position to offer advice to the government; I believe they (officials) are doing the best they can. I spoke with (Defense Minister) Amir Peretz and I am certain that as defense minister, just as I do as a father, want to see Gilad return home.
“If Gilad can hear us I want to say that we are concerned for him and waiting for him to come home to Mitzpeh Hila, to the western Galilee. I hope he remains strong and will try to survive these difficult moments.
Noam also spoke of his wife’s response to the kidnapping: “My wife is in a bad state, just as any mother would be. It is difficult mainly at night. From what I’ve heard the mothers of the fallen soldiers are also in a bad mental condition. We are left with the hope, nothing else.
“I am in contact with France and trying to communicate through diplomatic channels,” he said.
Noam told reporters his son joined the Armored Corps despite his low physical profile because he wanted to serve in the same unit as his older brother, who concluded his army service a year and-a-half ago.
“We were always worried, regardless of whether it was Gaza or anywhere else – parents are always concerned for their children during their army service,” he said.
A wide-scale military response to the Palestinian attack , preparations for which have been approved by a special cabinet meeting, are currently on hold, due to fears for the soldier's wellbeing. The IDF chief of staff, Fan Halutz, said Sunday that "Hamas is fully involved in this operation," and on Monday a senior security source in Israel said that "the Hamas government will cease to exist" if Gilad Shalit, the soldier kidnapped by terrorists in the IDF army post, is not returned alive.
The Popular Resistance Committees organization is mainly behind the attack on the Kerem Shalom crossing.
London-based Arabic al-Hayat newspaper reported that the organization's commander, Jamal Abu Samhadana, assassinated two weeks ago in an Israeli aerial attack, personally planned the operation.
According to the report, members of the organization decided to put into action Abu Samhadana's plan as revenge for his assassination, and for the killing of the Popular Front's military wing commander.
On the ground, efforts by an Egyptian delegation to make indirect contact with the soldier's kidnappers continue.
On Sunday, Hamas sources and other organizations said that the soldier was injured and was being treated, so that he could be used as a trading card in a future deal for exchanging prisoners.
First published: 10:52, 06.26.6