Gilad Shalit

Gilad Shalit (born August 28, 1986, Nahariya, Israel) is a former Israeli soldier who was captured by Palestinian militants in June 2006. Shalit’s captivity for more than five years became a significant focal point in Israeli politics and society, and the push for his release led in October 2011 to a deal in which Shalit was freed in exchange for the release of more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.

Shalit was born and raised in northern Israel, near the Lebanese border. In July 2005, weeks after completing his secondary education, he began the term of military service obligatory for Israeli citizens. Shalit opted for a combat unit and joined the tank division.

Capture by Palestinian militants

On June 25, 2006, Palestinian militants, some affiliated with Hamas, infiltrated the Israeli border and launched an attack on Israeli army positions near the border crossing at Kerem Shalom, killing two Israeli soldiers and wounding four others. Shalit, also wounded in the course of the raid, was abducted to the Gaza Strip, where he was subsequently held in an undetermined location. Terms for a prisoner exchange were expressed shortly after Shalit’s capture: Hamas demanded the release of some 1,000 Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli jails in exchange for Shalit’s freedom. No agreement was reached, however, and Israeli assaults meant to secure Shalit’s release were likewise unsuccessful.

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Release and prisoner exchange

Shalit’s welfare was unclear until September 2006, when a handwritten letter was delivered to his parents. The handwriting was confirmed to be Shalit’s, although the content appeared to have been dictated. In June 2007 an audio recording of Shalit was released, and two other letters were subsequently delivered. In a deal mediated by Egyptian and German officials, Israel agreed in October 2009 to release 20 female Palestinian prisoners in exchange for video footage of Shalit. The footage, in which Shalit read a prepared statement greeting his family and appealing for his release, was subsequently made public. Aside from the periodic letters and recordings, however, Shalit was held incommunicado.

Throughout Shalit’s captivity, his parents continued to advocate for their son’s freedom and maintained his plight at the forefront of public and political concerns in Israel. In mid-2010, just after the fourth anniversary of Shalit’s capture, his family—accompanied by a growing crowd that eventually amounted to tens of thousands of supporters—embarked on a 12-day march meant to press for greater governmental efforts to secure his release. The march culminated in a rally in Jerusalem, where Shalit’s parents pledged to hold a sit-in outside the official residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu until Shalit was released. On October 18, 2011, following an agreement by Israel that secured Shalit’s freedom in exchange for the release of more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, Shalit was released. Among those released included senior Hamas member Yahya Sinwar, who saw the success of such prisoner exchanges as a motivation for taking hostages during the attacks of October 7, 2023.

Shalit was discharged from the military in April 2012 with the rank of sergeant major. He later became a sports journalist. In January 2024, during the Israel-Hamas War, he met with the families of hostages held by Hamas for support and encouragement.