Gilad Shalit (born 28 August 1986) is an Israeli soldier who was captured on 25 June 2006 by Hamas in a cross-border raid. He was abducted near the Kerem Shalom crossing (in Israel), and has been held as a prisoner in the Gaza Strip by Hamas since then – it has been 4 years already…

During the cross-border raid, two Palestinian militants and two IDF soldiers were killed and three others wounded, aside from Shalit, who reportedly suffered a broken left hand and a light shoulder wound after his tank was hit with a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG).

He was the first Israeli soldier captured by Palestinian militants. Gilad holds French citizenship, a fact that encouraged France and the European Union to be involved to some extent in efforts to release him.

On the 27th of June 2010, Shalit's parents started a march from their hometown Mitzpe Hila in the Western Galilee, to the Prime Minister's residence in Jerusalem. The march will end on June 8th; Gilad's parents stated that they would not go home until Gilad was freed.

Gilad is still alive, support his release!