Here is a look at the abduction of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier captured and imprisoned by the military wing of Hamas from 2006 to 2011.
Personal:
Birth date: August 28, 1986
Birth place: Naharia, Israel
Father: Noam Shalit
Mother: Aviva Shalit
Military service: Israel Defense Forces (IDF), 2005-2012
Other Facts:
Gilad Shalit was 19 at the time of his capture.
Dual citizen of France and Israel.
Timeline:
July 2005 – Begins his military service with IDF’s tank corps.
June 25, 2006 – Shalit is captured by Palestinian militants. The Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs issues a detailed statement about the abduction.
June 28, 2006 – Israel launches a military incursion into southern Gaza to rescue Shalit.
June 30, 2006 – A doctor tells an Israeli state-run television station that he has seen Shalit and treated him for injuries.
June 2007 – An audiotape is released, in which Shalit says his health is deteriorating and he’s in need of long term hospitalization.
June 2008 – Shalit’s parents receive a letter from their son.
October 2009 – The Israeli government receives a video of Shalit, proving that he’s still alive. In return, the government releases 20 Palestinian female prisoners.
June 2010 – Shalit’s parents lead a 12-day march from their home in northern Israel to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office in Jerusalem. There, they set up a protest tent to draw attention to their son’s plight. The tent remains outside the prime minister’s office for more than a year.
October 2011 – Netanyahu announces that a prisoner swap deal has been struck with Hamas. Shalit will be freed in exchange for the release of more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.
October 18, 2011 – Shalit returns home while 477 Palestinian inmates are freed in phase one of the prisoner swap.
December 18, 2011 – Phase two of the prisoner swap takes place and 550 Palestinian prisoners are released. Israel releases a total of 1,027 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Shalit.
