Israeli cabinet approves deal to release Gilad Shalit

After 1,935 days in captivity, Israeli Army Staff Sergeant Gilad Shalit may well be coming home soon.

In a deal negotiated with the help of the Egyptian government, Israel has agreed to a phased release of over 1,000 Arab terrorists held in Israeli prisons. In return, Hamas (the Islamic terrorist group in control of the Gaza Strip) will turn Shalit over to Egypt, who will transfer him to back to Israel.

Shalit was captured in a raid on June 25th, 2006, and has been held hostage by Hamas ever since. The only contact with the outside world Gilad has been able to make during his captivity took place in 2009; three letters, an audio tape and a video. Repeated attempts by the Red Cross to visit Shalit have been refused by Hamas, and previous negotiations or rescue attempts all failed.

Israel Trades 20 Terrorists for Gilad Shalit Video

Gilad Shalit, Israeli soldier and Hamas hostage

The Israeli government today exchanged 20 female Palestinian terrorist prisoners for a video proving that IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, kidnapped by Hamas in 2006, is still alive.

Shalit was captured in an ambush on June 25th, 2006, on the Israeli side of the Gaza border. The last sign of life received was a letter from Shalit in 2008.

A controversy has formed in Israel over how to obtain Gilad's release - whether or not to release terrorists from prison, and how many (Hamas often demands several hundred). Military efforts to free him have all been unsuccessful.

In the two-minute video, Shalit reads from a script while holding a September 14th Gaza newspaper. He takes a few steps, presumably to demonstrate his good health.

Shalit has been in captivity for 1196 days, according to the Free Gilad Shalit blog. He turned 23 on August 28th

Israel Approves Unilateral Ceasefire; Gilad Shalit Still Held, Rockets Still Fall

The Israeli National Security Cabinet has approved a unilateral 10-day ceasefire, beginning at 7:00pm EST on Sunday. The 10-member cabinet voted 7-2 in favor of the ceasefire, with one abstaining.

However, Hamas continues to fire rockets into southern Israel, and Israeli POW Gilad Shalit is still being held by Hamas after over 934 days in captivity. Within minutes of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's announcement of the ceasefire, Hamas launched six rockets that hit Be'er Sheva; Ashdod and Askelon were fired at shortly before Olmert's speech. No one was injured, although several people were treated for shock, and a house was damaged.

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From Arutz Sheva:

Two captured terrorists interviewed by Maariv/NRG say that Hamas was not expecting Israel's response to the escalation in missile attacks on Israeli targets that preceded Operation Cast Lead. One of them, a 52-year-old victim of a premature detonation who had already done time in an Israeli jail, said, "Hamas took a gamble. We thought, at worst Israel will come and do something from the air - something superficial. They'll come in and go out. We never thought that we would reach the point where fear will swallow the heart and the feet will want to flee. You [Israel] are fighting like you fought in '48. What got into you all of a sudden?"

When the IDF gets going, terrorists begin to melt. It has been reported that many Hamas terrorists deserted during Israel's Operation Cast Lead.

The organization and preparation of the IDF is much more evident in this operation, as opposed to the Lebanan action a few years back. The results show through.