Gilad Shalit
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| Gilad Shalit | |
|---|---|
| Born August 28, 1986 | |
 Gilad Shalit (image courtesy of the Shalit family) | |
| Place of birth | Nahariya, Israel |
| Allegiance | Israel |
| Rank | Staff Sergeant[1] |
| Unit | Armor Corps |
| Battles/wars | Operation Summer Rains |
Gilad Shalit (Hebrew: גלעד שליט, born 28 August 1986) is an Israeli soldier who was captured in a cross border raid on the crossing Kerem Shalom from the Gaza Strip by Palestinian militants on 25 June 2006 and has been held hostage byHamas since.[2][3][4][5][6][7] Shalit, a soldier of the IDF's Armor Corps, held the rankof corporal at the time of the incident but has since been promoted to staff sergeant.[8]
He became the first Israeli soldier captured[9] by militant Palestinian forces sinceNachshon Wachsman in 1994.[10] His abduction[11] and the following cross border raid by Hezbollah, resulting in the abduction of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regevinto Lebanon, were key events leading up to the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanonduring summer 2006. Shalit holds French citizenship, a fact that encouraged France and the European Union to be involved to some extent in the efforts to release him.[12]
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