BICOM

A year after having been released from Hamas captivity, Gilad Shalit has spoken in-depth for the first time about his experiences in a Channel Ten documentary.

Hamas terrorists tunnelled under the Gaza-Israel border to capture Shalit, then a 19-year-old corporal on mandatory military service, in 2006. He was held for over five years inside the Gaza Strip until a year ago, when Israel agreed to release 1,027 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Shalit’s freedom.

Following Shalit’s release, he has become a sports reporter for Yediot Ahronot, but has until now said little about his 1,942 days in captivity. The Channel Ten production documents a period of a few weeks in Shalit’s life, during which he commented, “It’s difficult coming back to normal life. It’s difficult socially. People have changed, have grown up, you feel as if you were left behind.”

However, Shalit’s overall feeling is one of excitement,  “From the little things, seeing nature, walking outside, opening a window, meeting people, being on the street, getting a mother’s hug, receiving warmth and love from family, friends. This is something I didn’t get all those years in captivity.”

During the film, Shalit candidly admits, “It will be hard for me to send my children to the army, but in the end the state [of Israel] got me out of there … I have no doubt I will send my children to the army.”

Talking about his time in captivity, Shalit described how he would pass the time, “I would play all sorts of games, mostly sports-related. I would form a ball out of a sock or a shirt and throw all kinds of things to the trash bin. I also wrote.” He also revealed that he would draw maps of Israel and of his hometown, “I did this relatively often in the beginning, so I would remember, so I wouldn’t forget.”