Israel to Receive Proof Shalit is Alive

Israel is set to receive proof that kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit is still alive, more than three years after he was abducted by Hamas terrorists in a cross-border raid near the Kerem Shalom Crossing. An announcement was made by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in Jerusalem.

In a joint statement issued simultaneously in Jerusalem, Cairo and Gaza, negotiators revealed that Israel will release 20 Palestinian Authority female terrorist prisoners, in exchange for a videotape proving that Gilad Shalit is alive.

"The Security Cabinet has decided to release 20 Palestinian female security prisoners and detainees, in accordance with the proposal by the team responsible for negotiating the release of Gilad Shalit," read the PMO statement. "According to the mediators' proposal, Israel will receive updated and unequivocal proof regarding the well-being and status of Gilad Shalit. Proof that he is alive will be delivered to Israel by the mediators in the form of a recently recorded video tape."



Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu commended chief negotiator Haggai Hadas and the negotiating team for their professional work far from the public eye, and said, "It is important that the entire world know that Gilad Shalit is alive and well and that Hamas is responsible for his well-being and fate."



According to the PMO, the Security Cabinet decided to respond to the Egyptian initiative as a confidence-building measure in the framework of the indirect negotiations. "All of this is ahead of the decisive stages in the negotiations for Gilad Shalit's release and on the basis of the Government of Israel's determination to bring him back home quickly while upholding the State of Israel's vital interests," the statement said.



The list of women prisoners and detainees designated for release, as well as information about them and the release process, will be made available at the Justice Ministry Pardons Department and will be posted in the coming hours on the Israel Prison Service website, the PMO said.



A senior source in the Prime Minister's Office reports that negotiating team head Haggai Hadas is in continuous contact with the Shalit family and is updating them on all developments. "The negotiations are still expected to be long and arduous," the source said, "We will continue to make determined efforts to bring Gilad back home, safe and sound, as quickly as possible."


by Hana Levi Julian Israel to Get Proof Shalit Alive