Israel admits failure to trace soldier

Former chief of the Israeli military admits that the regime has failed to retrieve Hamas-captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit due to lack of intelligence on his whereabouts.

“I failed. It must be admitted that we are incapable of employing military force to free Shalit. Hamas is hiding him in such a way that we cannot locate him. We don’t know where he is,” said Gabi Ashkenazi in a speech at Tel Aviv’s Bar-Ilan University.

Shalit was captured in June 2006 by Palestinian fighters after he infiltrated into the Gaza Strip. He has remained in Hamas custody since then.

The former IDF chief said that if a military option could not be of assistance in finding the captive soldier, Israel would have to pay “a reasonable price” for his release, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

Hamas has demanded the release of some 1,400 Palestinians held without charge in Israeli jails, in exchange for the Israeli soldier.

Hamas has announced that an agreement on the release of the Israeli soldier is possible, should Tel Aviv show a serious intent in making an honorable swap deal.

Talks between Hamas and Israel over Shalit, mediated by Egypt and Germany, grounded to a halt in late 2009.

The former military chief also voiced concerns over the growing number of non-Zionist students and said that “less than 50 percent of the youth enlist in the army.”

Ashkenazi concluded his speech by describing Iran’s nuclear facilities as a major threat to the Israeli regime and calling for increased military preparedness.