Jerusalem – Recording Sent To Israel Shows Gilad Shalit Alive And Well [Video]

Jerusalem – 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 it was verified by video footage that he was healthy and clear-minded.

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.

In the video, Channel 1 reported, Schalit is seen clean shaven with a fresh haircut. The two-minute long clip shows Schalit addressing Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his parents Noam and Aviva.

The text spoken by Schalit seems natural and not read from a prepared statement by Schalit’s Hamas captors, a Channel 1 commentator said. A previous clip which was released on the one-year anniversary of Schalit’s captivity with a still image accompanied by an audio track was almost certainly scripted.

In the new video, Schalit holds a newspaper dated September 14. He is shown wearing civilian clothes and addresses the camera directly. 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 Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi had already reviewed the footage and okayed the release of the prisoners, indicating that the video fulfilled Israel’s demands, namely that the video was at least a minute long, be recent and show Schalit talking.

OC Manpower Division Maj.-Gen. Avi Zamir landed 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.

Gilad Schalit has been held in captivity in the Gaza Strip for 1,195 days.

**UPDATE** 10:28 AM The Shalit family decide to publicly release the video, see below, starts at minute 1.50

In the tape, Shalit says: “Hello, this is Gilad, son of Noam and Aviva Shalit, brother of Hadas and Yoel who live in Mitzpe Hila. My ID number is 97029.

As you can see I am holding today’s Falasteen newspaper published in Gaza

I read the newspaper in order to find information about myself, and in hopes of reading about information of my return home and my imminent release.”

Gilad then continues: “I hope the current government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu doesn’t waste this opportunity to reach an agreement and as a result, allow me to fulfill my dream and be released.”

Addressing his parents and siblings, Gilad says: “I wish to send my well-wishes to my family and tell them that I love them and miss them greatly, and hope for the day I’ll see them again. Dad, Yoel, and Hadas, do you remember the day you arrived at my base in the Golan Heights, on December 31, 2005? We toured around the base and you took a picture of me on a Merkava tank and on one of the old tanks at the entrance to the base. Later we went to a restaurant in one of the Druze villages and on the way we took pictures on the side of the road, against the backdrop of the snowy Hermon Mountain.”

“I want to tell you that I feel well in medical terms, and that the Mujahidin from the al-Qassam Brigades are treating me excellently. Thank you very much and goodbye,” Gilad concludes.