Gilad Shalit, who was held hostage for over five years by Hamas in Gaza, recently met with the families of Israelis kidnapped during the terror group’s Oct. 7 massacre, Israeli media reported on Monday.
Shalit, 37, was captured by Hamas in a 2006 cross-border attack and released in 2011 in exchange for over 1,000 Palestinian security prisoners, including Yahya Sinwar, who would go on to become the terror group’s commander in Gaza and a key mastermind of the Oct. 7 attack.
The controversial prisoner exchange, which was approved by Israel following years of public protests, was the largest in Israel’s history.
Shalit, who reached out to relatives of those abducted on Oct. 7, expressed his support for the families and told them that their loved ones would be able to survive and recover, despite the difficulties, Channel 12 news reported.
According to the report, Shalit, who has kept a low profile following his release and has since gotten married, told the group that their loved ones could return and live full, happy lives.
