Gilad Shalit Kidnapping & Release
The Gilad Shalit kidnapping refers to the 2006 abduction of an Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, by Palestinian militants during an attack on his tank unit near the Gaza border. At the time of his capture, Shalit was a 19-year-old corporal who was taken across the border and held hostage for over five years. Throughout his captivity, negotiations for his release were ongoing, with Hamas demanding the release of over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Shalit’s freedom. In October 2011, a breakthrough occurred when an agreement was reached, resulting in Shalit's release alongside the release of 477 Palestinian prisoners. This exchange led to celebrations among Palestinians, who viewed it as a significant victory for Hamas, while many Israelis expressed concern about the implications of the deal, fearing it might encourage future kidnappings. The case garnered international attention and involved various parties, including the French government and Egyptian mediators, reflecting the complex dynamics of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Overall, the Shalit case exemplifies the broader issues of hostage negotiations and the deep-seated tensions in the region.
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Gilad Shalit Kidnapping & Release
Summary: In June 2006, Gilad Shalit's tank unit was attacked by Palestinian militants inside Israeli territory near the border with Gaza. Shalit, a 19-year-old Israeli Army corporal, was slightly wounded and transported across the border, where he was held hostage against the release of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons on a variety of charges. In October 2011, Hamas and the government of Israel announced they had reached an agreement: Shalit would be released in exchange for the release of more than 1,000 Palestinians, including some convicted terrorists. Shalit and 477 Palestinians were released on October 18, 2011. The announcement and subsequent release of prisoners brought demonstrations of joy among Palestinians. It was interpreted as a victory for Hamas, the hard-line Islamist party that has maintained that it will not negotiate a permanent peace treaty with Israel. The exchange was greeted with bitterness by relatives of Israeli victims of violence perpetrated by the Palestinians being released.
Key Events
June 2006: Gilad Shalit, a corporal in the Israeli Army, is kidnapped by Palestinian militants while inside Israel and taken across the border into Gaza.
- November 2009: Israel and Hamas almost reach an agreement to free Shalit in exchange for Palestinians held in Israel, but the deal collapses over Israel's refusal to release certain specific prisoners who were convicted of perpetrating terrorist attacks. Israel releases 20 Palestinian women from jail in exchange for a videotape proving that Shalit is still alive.
- 2010: Tens of thousands of Israelis participate in a 12-day march from northern Israel to Jerusalem to publicize Shalit's continued detention four years after his kidnapping.
- June 2011: Hamas rejects a demand by the International Committee of the Red Cross to provide evidence that Shalit is still alive.
- October 2011: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Khaled Meshal, political leader of Hamas, announce a swap in which Shalit will be exchanged for more than 1,000 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. Shalit is released on October 18, 2011, along with 477 Palestinian prisoners. Under the agreement between Hamas and Israel, a further 550 Palestinians are scheduled to be released from Israeli prisons over the next two months.
Key Figures:
- Gilad Shalit: has been portrayed as a gentle, amiable young man, who was happy to tutor other students in math and physics. He was drafted into the Israeli army in 2005 and joined a tank division stationed near the Gaza border. In 2006, he was abducted in a raid by militants. Two of his colleagues were killed and Shalit was slightly wounded.
- Benjamin Netanyahu: leader of the conservative, hard-line Likud Party and prime minister of Israel since the February 2009 elections. During his career, Netanyahu has insisted on strict preconditions for recognition of an independent Palestinian state.
- Khaled Meshal: became head of the political bureau of Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the United States, in 2004. He represents the arm of Palestinians who have vowed to never recognize the legitimacy of the state of Israel and who oppose negotiations by the Palestinian Authority government for a permanent treaty granting Israel land formerly part of the British Palestine Mandate. In a May 2009 interview, he volunteered to observe a 10-year truce with Israel in exchange for the formation of a Palestinian state on the entire West Bank and Gaza, territory that was captured by Israel in 1967.
In-Depth Overview
In 2006, Gilad Shalit immediately drew international attention when he was kidnapped from his tank unit on the Israeli side of the border with Gaza. Shalit was a 19-year-old corporal serving in a tank unit for his mandatory term in the military. Because he held dual Israeli-French citizenship, the French government became involved in efforts to negotiate his freedom, as did Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
In exchange for Shalit, Hamas, the Islamist Palestinian party that won Palestinian Authority elections in 2006, consistently demanded the release of over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners (out of about 7,000) held in Israeli jails. Over the next six years, Shalit's family campaigned for the Israeli government to keep his case a priority. In 2010, the family led a 12-day march of tens of thousands from the Shalit family home in northern Israel to Jerusalem.
In October 2009, Israel released 20 Palestinian women in exchange for evidence that Shalit was still alive: a videotape showing Shalit holding a Palestinian newspaper dated September 14, 2009. A month later, Israel and Hamas were on the brink of an agreement to exchange Shalit in exchange for several hundred Palestinian prisoners, but the accord fell apart over Israel's refusal to include specific prisoners specified by Hamas.
In June 2011, the International Committee of the Red Cross asked for fresh proof that Shalit was alive. Hamas refused, and in retaliation Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu imposed further restrictions on Palestinian prisoners, such as discontinuing a program under which prisoners could earn college credits while in prison.
Five months later, Netanyahu and Khaled Meshal of Hamas announced an agreement to release Shalit in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. Egypt, whose relations with Israel were strained after the resignation of President Mubarak in February 2011, took credit for helping broker the prisoner exchange. Palestinians erupted in public celebration over news that the prisoners would be released in what was viewed as a victory for Hamas. Israeli celebrations over Shalit's pending release were tempered by publicly voiced concerns that Israel had caved in to blackmail, and that the deal could inspire future kidnappings in order to force future prisoner releases.