Hundreds of postcards written by Americans for Israeli hostage Gilad Shalit, held by the Hamas regime, will be handed over to the Red Cross in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday. In addition to the postcards, Jewish Agency officials will hand over an Internet petition with thousands of virtual signatures calling for the Red Cross to take immediate action on Shalit's behalf. The petition calls for the Red Cross to obtain information on the captive's wellbeing, to ensure he receives all the basic human rights as per the Geneva Accords, and to pressure the Hamas regime to allow a Red Cross delegation to visit him wherever he may be.
The meeting on Tuesday is slated to include members of the Jewish Agency's board, its senior North American officials, CEO of the American Red Cross Gail McGovern, and Mary Werntz, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The delivery of the postcards is the culmination of a Jewish Agency initiative during the month of August, in which representatives of the organization traveled throughout the United States to raise awareness of Israel's ongoing hostage situation in Gaza.