JERUSALEM, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Following is the full text of remarks by captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in a video sent on Friday by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip in return for the release of 20 women held by Israel. Wearing olive-green military fatigues, the seated soldier read out a lengthy statement in Hebrew. His voice sounded shaky but he appeared calm and healthy, apart from dark circles under his eyes. The translation from Hebrew is by Reuters: "Hello. I am Gilad, son of Noam and Aviva Shalit, brother of Hadass and Yoel, who lives in Mitzpe Hila. My ID number is 300097029. Today is Monday, the 14th of the 9th, 2009. As you can see I am holding in my hand today's edition from 14.9.2009 of the newspaper Palestine that is published in Gaza. "I am reading the paper with the aim of finding information about myself and hope to find some information that will herald news of my release and of my return home soon. "I have been hoping and waiting for a long time for the day I will be relased and hope that the current government headed by Benajmin Netanyahu will not now waste the opportunity to conclude the deal and as a result of this I will finally be able to realise my dream and be released. "I want to send regards to my family and to tell them that I love them and miss them very much and yearn for the day that I will see them again. "Dad, Yoel and Hadass, do you remember the day you arrived at my base on the Golan Heights on 31.12.2005, which if I am not mistaken is called Revaya B. We did a tour around the base and you photographed me on a Merkava tank and on one of the old tanks at the entrance to the base. "Afterwards we went to a restaurant in one of the Druze villages and on the way we took photos at the roadside with the snowy Mount Hermon in the background. "I want to tell you that I am feeling well in terms of health and that the mujahideen from the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades (Hamas's armed wing) are treating me excellently. "Thank you and we'll meet again soon." (Writing by Ori Lewis; Editing by Alastair Macdonald)
An Israeli watches a news broadcast showing captured soldier Gilad Shalit, at a coffee shop in Kibbutz Yad Mordechai, just outside the northern Gaza Strip October 2, 2009. The Israeli soldier ...
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