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Hamas unveils special unit taking care of captive Israeli soldier

Xinhua, January 4, 2016 Adjust font size:

The armed wing of Islamic Hamas movement Qassam Brigades on Sunday unveiled a video showing a special unit called "Shadow Unit" to take care of captive Israeli soldiers.

The video was aired by the Hamas-run al-Aqsa Satellite Channel, showing members of the special unit guarding and taking good care of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

Shalit was kidnapped in a battle near the border between southeastern Gaza Strip and Israel in June 2006. Hamas kept him in underground until Egypt brokered a swap deal between Hamas and Israel in October 2011.

In the video, Shalit was seen eating, watching TV, smiling during a barbecue and reading letters from his family.

The video said that the "Shadow Unit's" duty is to guard captives of the enemy, hide them and thwart enemy attempts to unveil their whereabouts.

It added the unit "treats enemy captives honorably, in line with the rules of Islam, and provides for their needs, taking into account the treatment given to the prisoners of the resistance in the hands of the enemy."

Members of the unit "stay in the shadows, away from the light," the voiceover said, adding "when they go home, they never say anything to the families." Endit