Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Breaking News

Gilad Shalit Thanks Supporters for Freedom

Gilad Shalit made his first public address on Saturday, thanking activists who had worked toward his release from Hamas captivity.

In a recorded message to the people who rallied for his release for 1,941 days, Shalit said their continued struggle was one of the decisive factors leading to his return.

“I have no doubt that your continued steadfast struggle and support of my family was one of the decisive factors that helped bring about the decision to bring me home,” Shalit said in the message, addressing some 300 activists who gathered for a reunion in Kibbutz Shefayim in central Israel.

“I am grateful to all of you – each and every one – and I will continue to be thankful for the rest of my life,” he said.

Shalit was released on October 18 after five years in Hamas captivity in a prisoner exchange deal which saw the release of over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.

For more, go to Haaretz.com

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.