LOS ANGELES (Press Release)– Friday, June 25, marks four long years since Staff Sergeant Gilad Shalit was abducted by seven Hamas terrorists who entered Israel from a tunnel under the Israel-Gaza border and ambushed an Israeli tank from behind. They launched a rocket-propelled grenade at the vehicle and killed two Israeli soldiers, Staff Sergeant Pavel Slutzker and Lieutenant Hanan Barak. Five other soldiers, including Gilad Shalit, were wounded.
That day, less than a year after he began his military service, Gilad was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists and taken to the Gaza Strip, where he has remained captive ever since. Gilad was 19 years old at the time of his abduction. An Israeli and French citizen, he is a quiet person who loves math and sports. Gilad enjoyed following different sports leagues and tournaments all over the world. If one wanted to know the results of a competition in any country—Gilad knew the answer. If Gilad were safe at home with his family in Israel today, he would have undoubtedly been following every game of the 2010 soccer World Cup. Instead, he waits at the mercy of his terrorist captors in an undisclosed location in the Gaza Strip.
Gilad always volunteered to help everyone around him. Now he is cared for by no one, because no one is allowed to see him. For four years, Hamas has denied Gilad even one visit by a humanitarian group, including the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), to provide him with proper medical attention. This is in violation of the Third Geneva Convention.
Gilad’s father, Noam, asked flotilla passengers bringing what they claimed to be “humanitarian aid” to Gaza if they could bring his son one letter and one small package. The answer was no.
In March 2010, Béatrice Mégevand-Roggo, the ICRC’s head of operations for the Middle East and North Africa, admitted that “from the very beginning…we have repeatedly urged those holding him to treat him humanely and to allow him to exchange news with his family. We have emphasized that they have an obligation to do so under international humanitarian law…On more than one occasion, we have publicly demanded that Hamas allow us to visit Mr. Shalit in order to independently assess his condition. None of our appeals has been heard so far.” Hamas has also rejected the ICRC’s discreet, behind-the-scenes requests to visit Gilad Shalit.
On Friday, June 25, Gilad will have been held hostage for EXACTLY FOUR YEARS, 1,461 DAYS, by a fanatic terrorist group dedicated to annihilating the state of Israel and the Jewish people. His treatment is inhumane and tragic, and we are left to wonder: Why does the world accept this kind of treatment? Where is the support for his release?
What we are asking for is simple:
One conversation.
One doctor.
One visit by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
And, if possible, one hug, on behalf of his brothers and sisters in Israel and those in the United States and from around the world who want to let him know that we have not forgotten his plight and that we stand with him.
Please send a letter to the International Committee of the Red Cross; Amnesty International; and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to urge them to demand the release of Gilad Shalit and, at the very least, demand that Hamas allow Gilad Shalit to receive proper medical attention and contact from his family in Israel.
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