Eurasia Press & News
The Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas Movement, has released a recording of captured zionist serviceman Gilad Shalit asking his government to accept his captors’ demands and to set free Palestinian prisoners in return for his freedom.
The tape, which was released on Monday, on the occasion of the first anniversary of his capture in a daring commando attack south of the Gaza Strip, showed that Shalit was still alive.
The soldier expressed utter dismay at his government for neglecting his case, saying that he was not a drug-trafficker but rather a serviceman who was captured while on duty.
He said that Tel Aviv should accept the demands of the “Mujahideen”, adding that he was in need of continuous medical treatment in hospital and his health condition was not well.
The soldier, who voiced yearning to being reunited with his family, said that Palestinian prisoners are also looking forward to the day when they are reunited with their families, and expressed regret for the fact that the Israeli government and army have neglected his issue.
Shalit was captured, from inside his tank which was part of occupation forces surrounding the Gaza Strip and frequently firing shells at Palestinian homes, exactly one year ago in a stunning Palestinian resistance attack at an IOF military post at the Kerem Shalom crossing, southeast of Gaza Strip. Three zionist occupants were killed and a fourth was seriously wounded in the attack that also claimed the lives of two Palestinian fighters.
The Israeli occupation government and the zionist invaders spared no effort in searching for Shalit through its spies in the Gaza Strip and with the help of the PA security apparatuses; but all those efforts went in vain.
Captors of Shalit offered Israel a just, humane swap deal, calling on the Israeli occupation government to release Palestinian women and children captives in Israeli jails in return for Shalit’s freedom. Israel rejected the offer.
More than 11,000 Palestinian captives, including hundreds of women and children among other captives, are incarcerated in Israeli jails, many of them for decades.
For his part, Abu Mujahid, the official spokesman of the popular resistance committees whose armed wing took part in the commando attack along with the Army of Islam, said that Shalit was alive and well.
He reiterated the captors’ demands and asserted that the Israeli government had no other alternative but to accept their conditions.
“We can hold Shalit for many more years to come,” he said, adding that the zionist soldier would be only released in an “honorable swap deal”.
Abu Mujahid affirmed that Shalit was being properly treated in accordance with Islamic teachings, while “our prisoners” are being tortured and humiliated in Israeli occupation jails.
