Gilad Shalit: A symbol of Israel’s duty to its soldiers

Gilad Shalit, the young conscript who has been held by Gaza militants since 2006, remains a symbol of what most Israelis believe is their country’s sacred duty to bring its soldiers home at any cost.

After more than five years in captivity, a landmark deal inked by Israel and Hamas saw the 25-year-old soldier return home yesterday, in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners.

Israel announced the release exactly a week ago, and has defended its decision to release men and women accused of participating in the murder of Israeli citizens in exchange for Mr Shalit’s return.

Mr Shalit was a shy and retiring 19-year-old corporal with a passion for basketball when he was captured on June 25, 2006 by militants from Hamas and two other groups that tunnelled under Gaza’s border and attacked an Israeli army post.

The soldier became a cause celebre whose fate Israeli officials almost invariably raised with visiting diplomats and whose captivity has been the constant theme of PR campaigns by other young soldiers.

From his capture, Hamas refused to allow Mr Shalit to receive visits by the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the last sign of life they provided was in October 2009 when they released a video of him .

Israel has through the years worked with mediators from Germany and Egypt to secure his release but a deal which would satisfy both sides remained elusive.

Mr Shalit was a keen sportsman, he excelled at basketball and was an avid fan of cycling’s Tour de France, which relatives said he keenly followed every summer.

Mr Shalit – who also has French nationality through his father – graduated with distinction from Manor Kabri high school, where he specialised in science.

He used to help his parents Noam and Aviva with the guest house they ran in Mizpe Hila, but their rural idyll came to an abrupt end when he was snatched less than a year after he started his national service.

A corporal at the time of his capture, he has since been promoted to staff sergeant.

Key events following the soldier’s capture in 2006

2006

June 25: Gilad Shalit, a 19-year-old corporal, is captured after militants tunnel under Gaza’s border and attack an army post, killing two other soldiers. The raid is claimed by three Palestinian groups including the armed wing of Hamas.

June 28: Israel launches a massive military operation against the Gaza Strip but fails to find Mr Shalit.

August 28: A Palestinian spokesman says Mr Shalit is alive.

2007

April 8: Israel confirms receiving a list of Palestinian prisoners wanted in exchange for Mr Shalit.

2008

December 27: Israel launches a devastating 22-day military offensive against the Gaza Strip following daily rocket attacks by militants.

2009

March 17: Eleventh-hour talks on an exchange collapse, with prime minister Ehud Olmert saying Israel will not accept Hamas’s terms for a prisoner swap and will not cave in to demands from “a terrorist organisation”.

October 2: 19 Palestinian women prisoners released in exchange for a one-minute video of Mr Shalit.

December 22: Israel offers to release 450 militants, including many involved in deadly attacks, in exchange for Mr Shalit, with another 500 prisoners to be released at a later stage.

2010

February 2: Hamas, which has yet to respond to Israel’s latest offer, says talks have ground to a halt.

April 25: Hamas’s armed wing broadcasts a grim cartoon warning over the fate of the captured soldier in which he is seen visibly aging and being returned to Israel in a flag-draped coffin.

June 27: Mr Shalit’s parents walk to Jerusalem from northern Israel to mark four years since their son’s capture.

October 17: Mr Netanyahu says talks have resumed after nearly a year-long hiatus.

2011

April 12: Red Cross officials meet Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal in Damascus and ask for proof Mr Shalit is still alive, some 18 months after his last sign of life.

August 16: A top-level Hamas delegation visits Cairo as rumours fly over a new deal.

October 11: Israel and Hamas sources say they have reached a deal for Mr Shalit’s release in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, which is to be implemented in the coming week.

October 17: The Israeli Supreme Court upholds the government’s prisoner exchange plans, rejecting four appeals against the release including one from a terrorist victims’ group.