Gilad Shalit Abduction Fast Facts

Personal:
Birth date: August 28, 1986

Birth place: Naharia, Israel

Father: Noam Shalit

Mother: Aviva Shalit

Military service: Israel Defense Forces (IDF), 2005-2012, Sergeant major

Other Facts:
Shalit was 19 at the time of his capture.

Dual citizen of France and Israel.

While in captivity, Shalit was promoted three times, from corporal to ultimately sergeant major.

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 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.

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