Hamas agrees to pass on a letter from captured Israeli occupation forces soldier Gilad Shalit to his family, former U.S. President Jimmy Cater told the Qatar-based network Al-Jazeera on Friday.
Hamas agrees to pass on a letter from captured Israeli occupation forces soldier Gilad Shalit to his family, former U.S. President Jimmy Cater told the Qatar-based network Al-Jazeera on Friday. The previous letter Hamas allowed Shalit to pass on to his family, which was also mediated by the former U.S. president, was received in June of 2008. In it, the occupation soldier said he had been "dreaming of the day of my release and am looking forward to seeing you again. I hope this day will come soon, but I know it's not up to me or you." "I call upon the government to continue negotiating my release and refrain from focusing their efforts on releasing the soldiers in Lebanon," Shalit's 2008 letter said. On Friday, in an interview with Al-Jazeera, Carter indicated that Hamas politburo Khaled Meshal voiced his agreement to deliver a letter from Shalit to his family during a recent meeting between the two in Syria. Hamas has demanded the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons in exchange for Shalit's freedom. The negotiations have been stuck in recent months following the German mediator's failure to reach a deal. The previous round of talks broke down due to Israel's rejection of Hamas's demands.Carter: Hamas Agrees to Deliver New Shalit Letter
