Red Cross doctors did not interview freed Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit before his notorious interview with Egyptian state television, contrary to what the interviewer said.
Investigative journalist Richard Behar wrote in Forbes magazine that a Red Cross spokesman reported that an International Committee of the Red Cross doctor did not examine Shalit before the Oct. 18 interview, as the interviewer, Egyptian journalist Shahira Amin, claimed.
Amin defended her decision to interview Shalit, saying that the interview was conducted “AFTER [her caps] he had been released by Hamas and had a medical checkup by the Red Cross.”
The Red Cross disputes the claim.
Shalit was seen in the interview breathing heavily and having trouble focusing.
On Oct. 25, Shalit underwent medication examinations at a military facility in central Israel. The previous day, Israeli President Shimon Peres visited the home of the Shalit family in the first official visit since the soldier’s return. — jta