Gilad Shalit Has Surgery for Old Wounds
Freed Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit underwent surgery on Friday to have shrapnel removed from a wrist and elbow.
The shrapnel had been inside Shalit since he was kidnapped by Gaza militants in a cross-border raid on June 25, 2006.
Shalit was released by Hamas last month as part of a prisoner exchange deal in which Israel agreed to free 1,027 Palestinian and Israeli Arab prisoners to secure Shalit’s return.
Rambam Hospital in Haifa, where the surgery occurred on Friday, reported that Shalit is recuperating and in good condition. He is expected to be released from the hospital on Saturday.
The surgery is part of the medical treatment that Shalit has received since he was released from Hamas captivity.
This past week, Shalit began to be debriefed by IDF security and intelligence officials. The IDF said that the debriefing process will be a gradual one, starting with short sessions in accordance with Shalit’s condition, out of sensitivity to the experiences he went through over the past five and a half years.
However, the decision to begin the debriefing process was based on assessments by IDF mental health officials that Shalit dealt surprisingly well psychologically with his captivity.
For more, go to Haaretz.com
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