3 years since Shalit's abduction

JERUSALEM, June 25 (UPI) -- Media headlines called for the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit as Israel marked the third anniversary of his abduction.

Newspapers Thursday carried interviews and letters written by Shalit's parents, Noam and Aviva. In Yedioth Aharonoth, Aviva Shalit called on the public to continue campaigning for her son's release.

"For three years I carry tears. They choke me from within, and I am unable to laugh. Three years I have attempted to convey the pain and frustration to the public. Dear people help us," she wrote in an accompanying letter to the newspaper.

Tami Arad, the wife of air force navigator Ron Arad, who was taken prisoner after his plane was shot down in Lebanon 1986 and whose whereabouts still are unknown, told the paper: "Today the soldier held prisoner is called Gilad, tomorrow it could be your son. Is it possible one can be persuaded that their precious son is too precious for the country?"

In an interview with the Maariv paper, Noam Shalit called on the public to close their eyes for three minutes and remember his son. He talked about the lack of faith he has in the government's ability to bring his son home.

"Of course there are fears that another year will go by, but we hope and pray it will end," he said.

Thousands are expected to participate in a demonstration outside the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, calling for Shalit's release.

Meanwhile, Haaretz reported details of a military briefing warning of possible kidnapping attempts that was circulated in the army just one day before Shalit's abduction. The report said the information was relayed to the Gaza division based on intelligence collected by Israel's Security Agency.

"On the basis of this warning, defensive preparations were stepped up. But no offensive preventive measures were taken, because at the time, less than a year after the disengagement from Gaza, the prevailing doctrine was for Israel to avoid offensive operations in the Strip," the report said.