Hamas’s Number Two leader, Moussa Abu Marzouk, left Gaza with a video of Gilad Shalit, according to a Kuwaiti newspaper. Marzouk, Khaled Mashaal’s deputy, recently visited Gaza for several hours despite his being on Israel’s "Most Wanted" list.
The Kuwaiti newspaper Al Jarida reported that Marzouk also delivered a letter to the Syrian government while keeping the video, which he received from the commander of Hamas’s terrorist army in Gaza. Hamas officials denied that the letter reached the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Marzouk’s visit last Thursday lasted for several hours but was not reported until Saturday, and most observers said that Egypt could not have let him enter Gaza without first getting permission from Israel. His appearance in Gaza after a long exile was seen as a sign that he was not afraid that Israel would target him.
He reportedly visited his ailing mother, but the Kuwaiti report, if true, indicates that Hamas now has another psychological weapon. Shalit’s family and a large group of academics and intellectuals are campaigning for the Olmert government to free hundreds of convicted murderers for the return of Shalit, who was kidnapped nearly 1,000 days ago.
Hamas already has exploited the video, telling Al Jarida that it shows Shalit to be healthy but that it will not be publicized unless there is “true and serious progress” and concessions on the part of Israel.
In Israel, Shalit’s parents moved into a protest tent on Sunday opposite the residence of outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. “We will stay here so Olmert will see us when he gets up in the morning,” they said.
The Prime Minster scorned the protests for Shalit as interfering in talks aimed at bringing him back home. After Shalit was kidnapped, Olmert stated he would not negotiate with terrorists for his return and threatened to halt negotiations with the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority until he was released.