
Gilad Shalit's grandfather met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv on Thursday, informing the head of state that the formerly captive IDF soldier is adjusting well to life at home.
"Gilad has gained weight and has returned to normal," Zvi Shalit told Netanyahu. "He's just as he was before."
Related stories:
- Grapel: I'm no Gilad Shalit Gilad Shalit undergoes shrapnel removal surgery
- Minister slams Shalit for visiting beach on Shabbat
The 25-year-old Gilad returned to Israel in October after spending over five years in Hamas captivity. He was freed in a prisoner swap deal that required Israel to release 1,027 Palestinian prisoners. So far, 477 of the inmates have been let out, and 550 others are to be freed in the coming months.
Zvi Shalit with PM Thursday (Photo: Moshe Milner, GPO)
In the weeks since his return, it has been reported that Gilad has undergone a surgery in his hand and has been making efforts to regain some semblance of normalcy.
Zvi Shalit, who served a key role in the efforts to press the government into freeing his grandson, thanked the prime minister Thursday for approving the prisoner exchance deal.
During the meeting, Netanyahu gave Zvi a flag he received from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in show of support for the fight to bring Gilad home.
- Receive Ynetnews updates
directly to your desktop