Shalit: I would write, draw during Hamas captivity

Gilad Shait , the Israeli soldier recently released in the swap deal between Hamas and Israel after being held captive in Gaza by Al-Qassan brigades underground revealed how he would pass his time when captive. Shalit revealed to the Israeli newspaper, Yediot Ahronot, that he would mostly draw on the papers and write his diary. He said that he used the papers and pencils to draw his original city in Jalil, northern Palestine, and the streets where he used to walk daily , in order to not forget them. After finishing his painting, he would write the names of people he knew there so that he would not forget them. According to the newspaper, Shalit left his papers and diary behind. Shalit, 25, is an Israeli – French citizen and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier. On 25 June 2006, he was captured  inside Israel by Hamas militants in a cross-border raid via underground tunnels near the border with Gaza. The Hamas militants held him for over five years, until he was released on 18 October 2011. The deal that secured his freedom saw 1,027 Palestinian prisoners, including some convicted of multiple murders and carrying out terror attacks against Israeli civilians released. Hamas leader Ahmed Jabari was quoted in an Army Radio October 2011 broadcast confirming that the prisoners released as part of the deal were collectively responsible for 569 Israeli civilian deaths.