Gilad Shalit

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Gilad Shalit (Hebrew: גלעד שליט, Gilˁad Šaliṭ ; born 28 August 1986) is an Israeli former soldier who, on 25 June 2006, was captured by Palestinian militants in a cross-border raid via tunnels near the Israeli border. Hamas held him captive for over five years until his release on 18 October 2011 as part of a prisoner exchange deal. During his captivity, Hamas rejected requests from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to visit Shalit, claiming that such visits could compromise his location. Several human rights organizations criticized this position, asserting that the conditions of Shalit's confinement were in violation of international humanitarian law. The Red Cross stated "The Shalit family have the right under international humanitarian law to be in contact with their son." In the early months, the sole means of communication was through an intermediary who claimed that a low-ranking Hamas official, Ghazi Hamad, asked him to convey to Shalit's parents the assurance...

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