The family of missing soldier Sgt. Oron Shaul, 21, is not giving up hope that he is alive, although he was in the armored personnel carrier that was blown up by an anti-tank missile in the Shujaiyya neighborhood of the Gaza Strip on Sunday. Six other Golani Brigade soldiers were killed in the explosion. Shaul's parents, Zahava and Herzl, and his brothers Ofek, 14, and Aviram, 22, have been waiting at their Poria Illit home for more information to surface. "For the family, until conclusive evidence is found, Oron is not a fallen soldier, and that is very important for us to say," said Racheli Gazit, Shaul's cousin. Hamas has claimed it abducted Shaul in the attack, but there has been no verification of this claim. IDF officials think the most Hamas might have in its possession are identifying items taken from the scene of the attack. The Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson's Unit released a statement, saying, "The identification efforts concerning the seventh soldier [aboard the APC] are ongoing." On Monday evening, the head of the IDF's Manpower Directorate, Maj. Gen. Orna Barbivai, visited the Shaul family and told them DNA testing performed at the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute on the Golani soldiers who were killed in the APC incident did not confirm that Shaul was among the casualties. Aviram immediately returned home from the Gaza Strip, where he was serving in the reserves with the Givati Brigade, when he was notified that his brother was missing. "Oron is a very special, outstanding boy," said the soldier's uncle, David Namimi. "Loved by his family, handsome, a good soul. Last Independence Day, Oron received the Presidential Citation of Excellence, making us all very proud. Both he and his older brother chose to serve in combat units." MK Elazar Stern (Hatnuah), the former head of the IDF's Manpower Directorate, visited the Shaul family. "This is a strong family that trusts that the IDF and the State of Israel will do everything possible to solve this terrible uncertainty as quickly as possible," he said as he left their home. Yaakov Avitan, the father of Staff Sgt. Adi Avitan, who was kidnapped by Hezbollah in 2000 and whose body was returned four years later, visited the Shaul family as well. As he left their home, he said, "I saw there a courageous, strong family that trusts the IDF and knows that the military will be the one to bring back their son." News outlet Al Arabiya reported Tuesday that Israel has approached Germany to help retrieve Shaul. Hamas has said that Israel will have to pay a price in advance for any information about the soldier. Hamas Member of Parliament and senior official Mushir al-Masri said that Israel will have to compensate the Palestinians "for every piece of information about the soldier's fate."
