'Schalit being given parties with cake'

Doghmush clan head to 'Sunday Times': Kidnapped soldier "living in paradise," with annual bday parties.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
schalit in uniform 248.88 (photo credit: Courtesy of Gilad Schalit's family)
schalit in uniform 248.88
(photo credit: Courtesy of Gilad Schalit's family)
Kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Schalit is not only alive and well, but is being treated to annual birthday parties that include "cake, candles and music," a report in the Sunday Times quoted a leader of the Gaza-based Dughmush clan as saying. Schalit's third birthday in captivity was on August 28. "He's not being kept in a closed room all the time - this would not be healthy. He can go out and take fresh air," Abu Katab Dughmush, one of the clan's elders, told the British newspaper. "Every year, a party is held to celebrate his birthday. Yes, there is a cake and candles, music, everything." The Dughmush clan largely controls the Army of Islam, an al-Qaida affiliated group which participated in the cross-border raid on June 25, 2006, that left two IDF soldiers dead and Schalit in captivity. The other two factions involved were Hamas's Izaddin Kassam and the Popular Resistance Committees. Nevertheless, the clan leader told the Times that the Army of Islam had no control over the kidnapped soldier's fate. "The only faction that controls his life now is Izaddin Kassam," Dughmush said. "But I can tell you that Schalit is living in a paradise. Our religion of Islam demands that we look after prisoners even more than we do our own people." On Saturday, Damascus-based Hamas chief Khaled Mashaal said his organization would like to finalize the negotiations on a prisoner swap for Schalit, but that it was unwilling to compromise on its demands, Israel Radio reported. "We won't let Israel blackmail us and force us to lower the number of prisoners to be released," he said during a ceremony marking Ramadan. Mashaal added that while Hamas was demanding the release of 1,000 security prisoners, Israel is only willing to free 450. Last week, the Prime Minister's Office declined to comment on reports that the committee of four ministers charged with drawing up a list of prisoners to be released in exchange for Schalit had presented it to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Defense Ministry officials, however, said the list was still being drawn up. Hamas is reportedly demanding that 1,000-1,500 prisoners be released in exchange for Schalit. Yaakov Katz contributed to this report.