Kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit
Reproduction photo
Hundreds rally for release of captives
Rally held to mark one year since Hamas capture of Gilad Shalit, hundreds attend in support of all captured soldiers
Hundreds of people attended a rally marking the 1-year anniversary of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit’s capture by Hamas.
The rally was held Sunday at the Wohl Rose Garden opposite the Knesset building in Jerusalem.
“Our sons shouldn’t have to pay the price of failures, and neither should their families. The prime minister knows what needs to be done in order to get back Gilad, or at least he’s supposed to,” said Noam Shalit, Gilad’s father.
Citizens rally in support of captives (Photo: Haim Zach)
“Arik Sharon, your predecessor, knew how to make decisions when he needed to, even if they weren’t popular. That is the test of a leader, and if you hesitate or don’t know what to do in order to have Gilad released, then please be so kind as to pass your position on to someone who can bring results as soon as possible,” he added.
Shalit urged Israel’s leaders to do anything necessary to free his son, including releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
Three weeks after Shalit’s capture, Lebanese Hizbullah guerrillas crossed Israel’s border with Lebanon, ambushed an army patrol, killing three soldiers and capturing two - Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser.
The incident ignited the Second Lebanon War, but the fighting ended with no sign of the soldiers. Hizbullah has offered no indication of the soldiers’ condition, or even evidence that they are alive.
“It is possible to bring Gilad, Udi and Eldad home, and immediately,” Zvi Regev, Eldad’s father, told the crowd. He called on the government to win their release “even at a high price - and at any price”.
“Our sons are your sons too, they were sent by you on a security mission, don’t let indifference kill them,” he concluded.
The Associated Press contributed to this article
