The Shalit family marked on Saturday the first decade since their son, Gilad, was kidnapped on 25th June, 2006 by Hamas terrorists and held in captivity until October 2011.
During an interview on Saturday, Gilad's grandfather, Tzvi (90), said that he always believed that his grandson would one day return to Israel: “I am optimistic by nature, and I always believed that Gilad would return eventually,” he said. “I have no doubt that the communal struggle and the public pressure led to the decision to release my grandson. Thank God he returned healthy and in one peace.”
The day on which Shalit was kidnapped, a squad of seven Hamas terrorists enetered Israeli territory through a tunnel under the Gaza border near the Kerem Shalom crossing. At around 5am, the squad attacked a Merkava tank stationed near the security post. During the attack, two of the tank crew, including the tank commander, were killed while Shalit was captured and taken into captivity.
Four years ago, on October 18, 2011, after five years and four months in Hamas’ hands, Shalit was returned to Israel in exchange for the release of 1,027 terrorists.
Shalit, who in August will turn 30, is now completing his studies in economics in Herzliyah. He lives in central Israel with his girlfriend. “All that is now behind us and we are looking forward,” his father, Noam, concluded on Saturday night.”