Captive Israeli soldier's kin meet envoy

JERUSALEM, June 4 (UPI) -- The parents of captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, held in Gaza for three years, met with the newly appointed negotiator in Jerusalem, officials said.

After the meeting Wednesday night with the former Mossad agent Hagai Hadas, Shalit's parents Noam and Aviva told reporters," the first meeting that lasted one hour does not bring us hope."

The couple refused to divulge further details of the meeting with Hadas, who was appointed by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu earlier to negotiate the kidnapped soldier's release.

A source close to the Shalit family told the Maáriv daily newspaper that Hadas gave the impression of being very thorough and serious in his approach. "He is currently reviewing all the details compiled by former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and the former envoy Ofer Dekel. We are talking about a man with a large heart, but we know, and Gilad's parents know, that the real address is Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu."

The Shalits are due to meet in the coming days with Meir Dagan, head of the Mossad intelligence agency and Yuval Diskin head of Israel's Security Services.

Israel Radio quoted Palestinian officials Thursday saying negotiations with Hamas officials to secure Shalit's release, have begun.

In June 2006, Gilad on operational duty along the Gaza Strip border, was abducted by Hamas terrorists and forcibly taken to Gaza, where he has been held captive.