Israel Angered By Hamas Video on Captured Soldier Gilad Shalit

Jerusalem, April 26, 2010 — -- Israel has reacted angrily to Hamas releasing an animated video taunting the father of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

Shalit has been held in Gaza since June 2006 and is at the centre of complex negotiations for a prisoner exchange.

Those protracted talks, which have been facilitated by a German mediator, are currently stalled and the video released Sunday was seen as an attempt by Hamas to put pressure on the Israeli government.

The short video shows Noam Shalit wandering the streets of Tel Aviv with a picture of his son Gilad, and features a real audio recording of the young soldier which was published by Hamas last September.

The video inspired a predictably angry response from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.

"This is another cowardly action by Hamas aimed at helping its leadership avoid making a decision about the recent mediation proposal," the prime minister's office said.

Israeli sources say Hamas has yet to respond positively to Israel's latest offer to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Months of talks have centered on a core of senior militants imprisoned for notorious terror attacks. It is thought Netanyahu is unwilling to release this group and the talks have since become bogged down.

The video shows Shalit's father finally being confronted by a coffin draped with an Israeli flag, a disturbing image designed as a warning of what might happen if a deal is not concluded.

The cartoon ends with the words, "There is still hope."