GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Hamas released an animated film Sunday bearing a grim message for Israel: If it doesn’t meet the Islamic militant group’s demands, an Israeli soldier it has held for nearly four years could return home in a coffin.
The short but sophisticated cartoon depicts Sgt. Gilad Schalit’s aging father wandering empty streets with a picture of his son and ends with the words “There is still hope.” The cartoon, which was widely broadcast on Israeli television, is the latest product of Hamas’ growing media machine.
Television and radio stations controlled by the group continuously broadcast Hamas-produced songs and music videos threatening the Jewish state and rallying the group’s militant Islamic base.
But the latest cartoon was remarkable for the personal and callous nature of the appeal on an issue that has profound emotional resonance for many Israelis: the fate of Schalit, who was captured by Gaza militants in June 2006.
The website of Hamas’ armed wing, which posted the video, said it was intended to pressure Israelis to accept demands for a prisoner swap and warn the Israeli government it could regret not making a deal quickly.
