After over three years in which IDF St.-Sgt. Gilad Schalit has been held in Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip, Israel breathed a sigh of relief on Friday afternoon after video footage of the captive soldier was released to the media and aired on Israeli television channels.
Video: 3 Years After Capture, Gilad Schalit Yearns for Family
After over three years in which IDF St.-Sgt. Gilad Schalit has been held in Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip, Israel breathed a sigh of relief on Friday afternoon after video footage of the captive soldier was released to the media and aired on Israeli television channels.
The two-minute long clip shows Schalit addressing Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his parents Noam and Aviva, telling them he is being treated well by the Hamas and is in good health, but yearning for the day on which he will see his family again. Schalit is seen clean shaven with a fresh haircut, wearing dark green clothes.
The video was received in return for the release of 20 Palestinian female prisoners. Israel released 19 of them on Friday morning, 18 to the West Bank and one to Gaza. The 20th prisoner will be released Sunday, after it turned out that a prisoner released Wednesday was finishing her sentence anyway and would therefore be released regardless of the deal.
Following is the full transcript of Schalit’s video message:
“Hello, I am Gilad, son of Noam and Aviva Schalit, brother of Hadas and Yoel, who lives in Mitzpe Hila. My ID number is 300097029.
”As you see I am holding in my hands the Palestine newspaper of September 14, 2009, published in Gaza. I am reading the paper in order to find information regarding myself, hoping to find some information from which I would learn of my release and upcoming return home. I have been hoping and waiting for the day of me release for a long time. I hope the current government under Binyamin Netanyahu will not waste the chance to finalize a deal, and I will therefore be able to finally have my dream come true and be released.
“I wish to send regards to my family and say to them that I love and miss them and yearn for the day in which I would see them again.
”Dad, Yoel and Hadas, do you remember the day when you visited my base on the Golan Heights on December 31st, 2005, that if I am not mistaken was called Revaya B. We walked around the base and you took photos of me on the Merkava tank and on one of the old tanks at the entrance to the base. We then went to a restaurant in one of the Druse villages and on the way we took photos on the side of the road with the snow-capped Mount Hermon in the background.
“I wish to say to you that I feel good, health-wise, and the Mujahadeen of the Izzadien al-Qassam Brigades are treating me very well. Thank you and goodbye.”
In the footage, Schalit addresses the camera directly, and at one point walks up to the camera and then returns to his chair. He also appears relaxed, not terrified.
By 12:30, Netanyahu’s appointee on the Schalit case, Hagai Hadas, reached the Prime Minister’s official residence in Jerusalem with the footage. Hadas and IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi had already reviewed the footage and approved the release of the prisoners, indicating that the video fulfilled Israel’s demands, namely that the video was at least a minute long, recent and showed Schalit talking.
OC Manpower Division Maj.-Gen. Avi Zamir arrived by helicopter with a copy of the video at the Schalit residence in Mitzpe Hila, where he was scheduled to view the video with the family.
Noam Schalit said before viewing the tape that the family eagerly awaits it.
The Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement following the release of the clip.
“Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu watched the video of Gilad Schalit in his office and has spoken with Noam Schalit,” a statement read by the prime minister’s media spokesman said.
“The prime minister believes the importance of the tape is in putting the responsibility for Gilad’s health and wellbeing squarely on Hamas’s shoulders. The prime minister says that even though the the release of Schalit is still far from us, the video is an encouraging sign,” the statement continued.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak spoke with Noam Schalit and Zvi Schalit, Gilad’s grandfather, at around 2 p.m., just minutes after the family viewed the video, according to a statement issued by Barak’s office.
The defense minister told the Schalits “I want to hug you. Gilad looks healthy, and this fact only further puts into focus my own responsibility and the responsibility of all of us to bring him home.”
A statement issued by the Elysee Palace in Paris called for the “immediate, unconditional release of Schalit.” Schalit holds dual Israeli-French citizenship and his father Noam has been lobbying with French President Nicholas Sarkozy to help in securing the release of his son.
Gilad Schalit has been held in captivity in the Gaza Strip for 1,195 days.
Jack
This is what they traded 13 prisoners for? A video update?? Not even a release? What kind of incompetent government is running that country?
Jack
Excuse me, it was 19 prisoners.
http://www.nytimes.com/apon…
keeping faith
we need to keep praying for his safe return he looks really tired and weak
Karen Cohen
Well, thank G-d he is alive and looks okay!
nos
when he got up he had plain sheet of paper meaning hes reading what the terrorists want him to read so he was forced into this this isn’t the real message he wants to give out and as for his healthy appearance they probably treated him properly for just enough time that he looks well
dsfadf
he doesn’t look healthy, he looks emaciated, weak, feeble.
wtvr
what nos wrote is true they told him what to say, made it sound like they are treating him well everyone should pray for him!
A HALF DAY FAST WORLDWIDE,,,
Exactly. He does look weak, emaciated, feeble. He looks like he walks with difficulty – from his wound which maybe didn’t heal properly?? His hands are so thin, his eyes are rimmed with dark shadows.
I think there should be a HALF DAY FAST around the world in honor of him and JONATHAN POLLARD. Such a fast should be taken on by all concerned. If only SOMEBODY influential, in SOME Jewish circle or other, would arrange this…
Hashem should free the captives now!!!
FEEL BETER NOW!
I FEEL REALLY BAD FOR HIM!
EVERY ONE SHOULD HAVE HIME IN MINED WHEN YOU DAVIEN AND PLEASE SAY TIHELIM FOR HIM
THANK YOU ALOT!!!!!!1
daven
A half day fast, torah tefila and tzedaka is a great idea. We all need to come together and daven.
ok....
OK – this is the first step though.
Then, with the help of G-d, he will be released!!!
vkjhjklkjl;k
i dont beleives the stupid arabs they probably just forced him 2 say that but hopfully with Hashems help he’ll come home soon & I think the isreal netanyahu has a RESPONSIBILITY to bring GILAD back home
they drugged him
He is probably on some relaxing drug that they gave to him.
emes amiti
who says this video is even him? it could be totally animation!!! also his “healthy” appearence is either
for the vid. or heaven knows what else also as said above he was forced to say what he said.anyway we should al daven for the speedy release of gilad ben aviva shalit and excectute a release operation (also bomb irans reactors on the same day)Kahane was right!!
cm
this is sooooooo fake!
ad masai?
OYY! IT PAINS ME TO SEE THIS I FEEL LIKE CRYING!!!
I CANT SEE THIS ITS SUCH A PAIN. AD MASAI????????!!! TILL WHEN?? WE WANT MOSHIACH NOW… WE NEED GILAD SHALIT TO BE RELEASED!!!!!!!!!
just saying
the way the arabs work goes like this:
drugg him up and make him look nice so that he has no clue what hes doing but he looks like it. and they tell him what to say. if this was really a soldier who wanted to send a word out there… he would have a little more to say and he would say it with emotion and cry and at least look in the eye of the camera.. this is all some nasty trick there is seriously no way he would look like that for real. just stating facts…
at least we do know hes alive… he may not be.. how do we know that they didnt take this a year ago and then they shopped in the detials to make it relevent?
seems a little too good!
think they forced him to say that??
YUDA
its not relavent how many solders were let free
to the famliy of gilad shalit its werth more then the world
we been through tofer times lets unit and say tahilim in his houner…..
MOSHIACH NOW