Hamas publishes video to mark birthday of captive Israeli soldier in Gaza

 
Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Hamas movement, published on Saturday a video clip to mark the birthday of an Israeli soldier that has been captive since the summer of 2014.

Since the end of the last Israeli large-scale air and ground military operation waged on the Gaza Strip during the summer of 2004, Israel has been saying that Oron Shaul, the 22-year-old Staff Sgt, is missing, but never said he is still alive.

However, the two-part video clips, were showing unreal footage of Oron, who was 22 when he was captured in Gaza, as if he is alive and he celebrates his 23rd birthday.

Oron and Lt. Hadar Goldin had disappeared in the Gaza Strip during the 50-day Israeli military offensive. Israel said the two were killed and Hamas took their corps, but Hamas refused to give any free data on the two missing soldiers.

The first part of the published video clip is 36 minutes long and it shows a group of Israeli soldiers surrounding a birthday cake and on the top of the cake there are three candles.

The Hamas armed wing wrote on the cake in Hebrew "three years for Oron Shaul in Hamas custody." The faces of the soldiers surrounding the came weren't shown, but they were singing and rang their iron pots with spoons.

"A new year as the soldier Oron Shaul is away from his family," said the group at the end of the first part of the video clip, referring that this is the first birthday for the kidnapped solider to celebrate way from his family.

However, the second part of the video, which was 54 seconds long, showed a fake face of the soldier sitting on a chair as his hands are cuffed and looking at his birthday cake, as he was trying to untie himself.

In the second part of the video, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shows up wearing the costumes of a clown and sits in front of the kidnapped soldier to celebrate his birthday.

At the end of the clip, the group wrote "the decision is in the hands of the Israeli government," referring to the fact that the Israeli government is able to reach a new prisoners swap deal with Hamas.

On July 20, the Hamas armed wing announced that it abducted Oron during the Israeli large-scale offensive on the enclave in 2014 during a gun-battle with the Israeli army in eastern Gaza.

In 2011, Egypt brokered a prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel, where Israel freed 1,028 prisoners for the release of its solider Gilad Shalit who was kidnapped in the Gaza Strip in 2006.

source: Xinhua