Captive soldier's parents get letter

ATLANTA, June 10 (UPI) -- An Israeli soldier held captive by Hamas for two years has written a letter to his parents, say representatives of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.

The Carter Center arranged delivery of the message from Cpl. Gilad Shalit to his parents after Carter had meetings last year with Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal, whom U.S. officials consider a terrorist, CNN reported Tuesday. At the meeting, he promised Carter that Hamas would allow the soldier to write his parents.

Noam Shalit, the soldier's father, confirmed the letter he and his wife received was in their son's handwriting. In it, Gilad Shalit pleads for his release and asks to be rescued, the network reported. Shalit was captured by Hamas in 2006 by Palestinian militants who tunneled into Israel and attacked an army outpost.

Meshaal has refused to release Shalit but says he is negotiating a prisoner swap through Egyptian intermediaries, the network said.