Say NO to the captivity of Gilad Shalit

The absurdity of absurdities. We are to complete four years of captivity of Gilad Shalit, on June 25 this year, and I see no other way for their release except by divine intervention. It is now that I remember the Ten Plagues of Exodus, and I surrender to my indignation.

It would be nice and helpful if all the negotiations worked well and this nightmare would end.

But Moses did not work out that way, there was a year of dialogue with Pharaoh, God sent ten plagues and finally Israel left Egypt.

In the XXI century, our modern Israel should return to the way the Biblical Israel and could at least claim their God again and plead for a miracle for Gilad Shalit.

And as happened back then, the Eternal God of Israel will act with a strong hand in favor of his people.

The words of King David
"Although my house be not so with God, yet made with me an everlasting covenant ..."



Gilad Shalit is an Israel Defense Forces soldier held captive in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip since June 2006. Ongoing efforts to secure his release as part of a prisoner exchange, via German and Egyptian mediation, have to date proved unsuccessful.

The 23-year-old Shalit was born in Nahariya to Aviva and Noam, and was raised from the age of two in Mizpe Hila in the Western Galilee. He has an older brother and a younger sister, and also holds a French passport.

When he turned 18, Shalit was drafted into the IDF armored corps. On June 25, 2006, the then 19-year-old corporal and his comrades were manning a post alongside the Israel-Gaza border when Palestinian gunmen opened fire on their position. The gunmen had dug a tunnel underneath the Gaza barrier, allowing them to reach the position undetected. Two IDF soldiers were killed in the attack, three were wounded, and Shalit was led by his captors into Gaza. Three days after his abduction, IDF forces entered Gaza in an attempt to locate and retrieve him. In the operation, 277 Palestinians and five Israeli soldiers were killed, but Shalit was not returned.

Immediately following his capture, Hamas demanded the release of all female Palestinian prisoners and all prisoners under the age of 18 from Israeli jails in exchange for information on Shalit. Israel refused, and on July 1, 2006, his captors demanded the release of a further 1,000 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons.

In June 2007, one year after his abduction, the Hamas military wing, Iz a-Din al-Qassam, released an audio tape in which Shalit is heard appealing for a prisoner-swap deal to be reached to secure his release.

In October 2009, in exchange for the release of 20 female Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, Hamas released a videotape of Shalit, in which he appeared to be in good health. Since his capture, neither the Red Cross nor any other external organization has been allowed access to the soldier in order to independently assess his physical and mental condition.

Shalit's parents have been waging an ongoing campaign for the past four years to pressure the Israeli government into reaching a deal that would free him. He has also been subject of various international campaigns and support groups, and was named an honorary citizen of Paris in December 2008.

Prayer: Almighty God to release the young Gilad Shalit from captivity. Amen.