'Netanyahu, a birthday present for Gilad - his life back'

Captive soldier's parents hold signs at protest to mark his 25th birthday; dozens of activists join them outside PM's J'lem office.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Noam Aviva Gilad Schalit 311 (photo credit: REUTERS)
Noam Aviva Gilad Schalit 311
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Gilad Schalit's parents were joined by dozens of supporters in a protest outside Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's Office in Jerusalem on Sunday morning to mark the captured IDF soldier's 25th birthday.
Aviva Schalit, Gilad's mother, held a sign saying "Netanyahu, a birthday present for Gilad - his life back."
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Gilad's father Noam, who was holding a sign saying "Netanyahu, you don't have a mandate to kill Gilad," said that it is hard for him to ask his son to stay strong after more than five years in captivity.
"We are fighting a daily battle but we are still no closer to the day that Gilad is released," Noam told Israel Radio.
Tzvi Schalit, Gilad's grandfather, blamed Netanyahu for not doing enough to bring about the release of his grandson. During an interview with Israel Radio on Sunday morning, Tzvi said that it is clear the public wants Gilad to be released but the government, and more specifically the prime minister, is ignoring those calls.
"Since Netanyahu has come into power, the situation has worsened," Tzvi said.
"We are working hard, but our demands are not being not answered. It is not true that they [the government] are doing everything they can," the kidnapped soldier's grandfather said.
Tzvi spoke about the day that Gilad was born and reminisced about the first time he saw him at the hospital in Nahariya. "He is very much missing in the family," Tzvi said.