Israelis attend slain soldiers´ funerals

WATCH VIDEO

Source: CCTV.com | 07-18-2008 09:33

Thousands of Israelis have attended funerals for two soldiers who were killed by Hezbollah militants in a cross-border raid in 2006. This comes after their bodies were returned to the Jewish state in a prisoner swap deal with Hezbollah.

Karnit Goldwasser (R) mourns during the funeral for her husband Ehud in the northern city of Nahariya July 17, 2008.(Reuters)

There was sombre mourning for the thousands who attended Thursday's funerals for the two slain soldiers who were returned in a prisoner swap deal.

Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak says his country will make every effort to retrieve other soldiers who have been captured, including Gilad Shalit. He was abducted by militants from the Gaza Strip in a 2006 cross-border raid.

Barak says, "This is the time and the place to say to the Family of Gilad Shalit that we do not cease and we will not cease in the future efforts to quickly return Gilad, safe and sound, home."

There were contrasting sentiments in Lebanon with hundreds of people welcoming Samir Kantar. He has been the longest-held Lebanese prisoner in Israel. Kantar returned to his hometown on Thursday.

Kantar and four other Lebanese guerrillas were freed in exchange for the bodies of two Israeli soldiers.

The Hezbollah Minister says, "We all believe that our enemy only understands the logic of resistance and we all also believe that our rights cannot be regained by political and diplomatic efforts."

Kantar praised Hezbollah saying that its arms are "a red line" that should not be crossed.

He says that the struggle for Chebaa Farms, a disputed patch of land which has been occupied by Israel, is not over.

Editor:Zhang Yue