Today July 20 marks the ninth year since al-Qassam Brigades of Hamas captured Israeli soldier Oron Shaul during the Israeli military aggression against the Gaza Strip in mid-2014.
On July 20 2014 spokesman for al-Qassam Brigades Abu Obeida appeared in a video clip asserting the capture of Shaul during a failed Israeli incursion into al-Tuffah neighborhood in eastern Gaza.
However the Israeli occupation army claimed a few days later that Shaul was dead and classified him along with another captive soldier called Hadar Goldin as &ldquokilled in action&rdquo and later in 2016 as missing soldiers.
The mother of Shaul has repeatedly expressed her belief that her son is still alive rejecting official claims classifying him as missing or killed in action.
&ldquoIf it is not 100 percent I am holding on to the hope that he is still alive. My heart tells me he is alive&rdquo she said once.
Later in early April 2015 al-Qassam Brigades announced there were four captive soldiers in Gaza without stating if they were dead or alive. The Israeli army said that two of the captives were civilians.
At the end of 2016 al-Qassam Brigades released two video clips on the occasion of Shaul’s birthday.
