- Title: MIDEAST: Israel marks fifth year since soldier's capture
- Date: 26th June 2011
- Summary: CLOSE OF CAKE WITH PICTURES OF PRISONERS
- Embargoed: 11th July 2011 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Gaza, Israel
- City:
- Country: Gaza Israel
- Topics: War / Fighting,Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA2ZT23VGO628GGI9VSZXNPNWKM
- Story Text: Israelis on Saturday (June 25) marked the fifth anniversary since the capture of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit by Palestinian militants on a raid from Gaza.
Shalit, grabbed by militants who tunnelled into an Israeli army border position on June 25, 2006 and took him into the Gaza Strip, has become a powerful symbol for Israelis, many of whom do compulsory military service and identify with his plight.
Scores of Israelis gathered at the Kerem Shalom crossing with Gaza on Saturday afternoon and called for Shalit's release.
"The (Israeli) government must decide immediately to let him free. That's the only thing we wish and demand from the government. There's nothing else they can do, they have to let him free immediately," Dalia Shalit Cohen, cousin of Gilad's father, told Reuters Television.
The fate of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel is also an emotional issue in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, where they are revered as heroes of the Palestinian cause.
In Gaza, dozens of Palestinians gathered for a rally where a cake made in honour of their prisoners held in Israeli jails was presented, as well as a skit portraying Shalit in jail.
"When they release our detainees, let them free Shalit. My son was fourteen years old when he was detained, how can a child be sentenced? He was sentenced thirteen years. What had he done? When Shalit was captured he was on a tank on his way to kill people," said Umm Mohammed abdel Karim, as she held her son's picture.
Netanyahu has said he was committed to seeking Shalit's release. But his rightist government baulks at meeting Hamas' demands to free hundreds of prisoners, among them men convicted of lethal attacks, calling it too great a security risk.
Shalit, who holds dual Israeli and French citizenship, was 19 at the time of his capture. The last sign of life received from the soldier was a videotape released by his captors in September 2009 showing Shalit, pale and thin, pleading for his life.
He has not had any visits from the International Commission of the Red Cross.
Israel has a history of carrying out uneven prisoner swaps. Nearly three years ago, it traded hundreds in its jails for the remains of two soldiers.
Shalit's parents holds both Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and his predecessor, Ehud Olmert, who was prime minister in 2006, responsible for the failed efforts to free their son. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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