JERUSALEM — In the first video images since he was captured by Palestinian militants in 2006, Israeli Sgt. Gilad Schalit — looking thin but healthy, his hair freshly trimmed — sent love to his family, appealed for his freedom and held up a newspaper to prove the footage was recent.
Israel freed 19 Palestinian women from prison Friday in exchange for the video, raising hopes for the young soldier’s release and taking a step toward defusing a key flashpoint in Israeli-Palestinian hostilities.
In the West Bank, jubilant Palestinians cheered and waved flags as the freed women returned home, some with prison-born babies in tow. And in Gaza, ruled by the Hamas militants holding Schalit, the prime minister called the swap a victory for Palestinians.
In the video, Schalit talked of his love for his parents and siblings and recalled a family prayer on a roadside with a view of snow-capped mountains.
“Shalom, I am Gilad, son of Noam and Aviva Schalit, brother of Hadas and Yoel,” the fatigue-clad 23-year-old soldier said in Hebrew at the beginning of the two-minute, 47-second video, which at several points showed him smiling tentatively. “My ID number is 300097029.”
Schalit’s capture and long captivity have touched a raw nerve in Israel.
