On June 25, 2006, Hamas terrorists from the Gaza Strip launched a cross-border attack into Israeli territory that forever changed the course of the conflict with the Palestinians.
Less than a year previously, Israel had dismantled 22 Jewish communities and withdrew approximately 22,000 Israeli citizens, in addition to all troops, from Gaza in an operation formally called the Hitnatkut, or “disengagement.” In what was near-universally described as a bold move for peace, Israel acted without receiving anything tangible return.
Within Israel, the populace was firmly divided into two camps — for and against the disengagement.
The move made waves internationally, with foreign leaders lauding the disengagement as a demonstration of Israel’s commitment to peace. Many Israelis, too, viewed the withdrawal as a bid to improve relations with the Palestinians and lay the groundwork for a deal to end the conflict.
Others saw things differently, warning that uprooting thousands of Israelis from their homes would effectively reward terrorism by emboldening Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups, providing them with territory from which to increase their attacks on the Jewish State.
Unfortunately, subsequent events confirmed the latter group’s fears.
Surprise Cross-Border Attack
Early in the morning of Sunday, 25 June 2006 Palestinians from Hamas’ Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigade, the Popular Resistance Committees and Army of Islam infiltrated Israeli territory through a tunnel they had dug near the Kerem Shalom land crossing. They attacked a watch tower, an empty armoured personnel carrier, and a Merkava tank stationed near Gaza that was conducting a surveillance mission.
During the course of the attack, the terrorists managed to blow open the tank’s rear doors with a rocket-propelled grenade fired from close range and then tossed hand grenades inside. Two of the tank crew members were killed: the commander, Lieutenant Hanan Barak, as well as Staff Sergeant Pavel Slutsker. Another soldier was wounded.
The remaining soldier, Corporal Gilad Shalit, suffered a broken left hand and a light shoulder wound. When Shalit exited the tank, the perpetrators captured him at gunpoint and then kidnapped him to Gaza after blowing a hole in the security fence.
Whereas previously the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had maintained a presence deep inside the strip, the territory was now no longer under Israeli control. Given that the area had become a safe haven for numerous Palestinian terror organizations, replete with a new threat in the form of subterranean passageways, the IDF faced a serious challenge in locating Shalit.
Military Attempts to Free Shalit
While diplomatic attempts were made to persuade Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to take responsibility for the situation, it became apparent that he either could not, or would not, facilitate Shalit’s safe return. Consequently, the IDF, guided by its “leave no man behind” mentality, was authorized to enter Gaza.
With repeated rocket attacks from Gaza plaguing southern Israel, the operation, dubbed “Summer Rains,” had two main objectives: To stop the rocket fire and to free Corporal Shalit. However, after several large battles and intense urban warfare, Shalit remained unaccounted for and the IDF eventually withdrew from Gaza in November.
It later emerged that Hamas had limited the possibility of Israeli intelligence pinpointing Shalit’s location by having continuously moved him from location to location using Palestinian drivers and escorts unaware of the fact that they were helping to hide an abducted Israeli soldier. As a result, only a small number of Hamas members knew where Shalit was at any given point in time.
Hamas even refused, in contravention of international humanitarian law, to allow the Red Cross to meet with Shalit.
Over the ensuing years, Hamas’ rocket fire intensified, with hundreds of projectiles launched from Gaza into Israel in the final months of 2008 alone. In response, the IDF was forced to launch Operation Cast Lead, with the aim of stopping the attacks and preventing arms smuggling into Gaza. All the while, soldiers were expressly told to keep their eyes open in the hopes of uncovering Shalit’s whereabouts.
However, when the mission ended in mid-January 2009 no progress had been made on that front.
Meanwhile, the high-ranking Hamas commander who Israel considered responsible for masterminding Shalit’s capture, Abu Jibril Shimali, was killed later that year during violent clashes with the al-Qaida-affiliated Jund Ansar Allah organization.
Diplomacy Takes Over
For years, Noam and Aviva Shalit campaigned outside the prime minister’s residence in Jerusalem, calling on the government to do everything possible to get their son released. Marches and demonstrations on behalf of Gilad were from time to time held which, coupled with ongoing media coverage, kept the issue relevant.
Almost five years after Shalit was abducted, secret back-channels between Israel and Hamas produced a framework under which Jerusalem would free over 1,000 security prisoners in return for the safe return of Shalit. The indirect negotiations were headed by Israeli peace activist Gershon Baskin and then-Hamas deputy foreign minister Ghazi Hamad.
In July 2011, then-prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated that he was willing to abide by the terms, but insisted that top Hamas leaders would not be among those released. At the time, few analysts took this statement as a sign that Israel was close to reaching a deal.
However, over the next few months the back-channel produced a number of documents outlining the exact manner for the release of Palestinian security prisoners in accordance with Israel’s limited demands. Secret talks were also held to determine the list of names that would be included on the list of those freed.
All of this on the backdrop of minimal proof — including, across five full years, only an audio tape, a video recording and three hand-written letters — that Shalit was still alive. Nevertheless, Netanyahu on 11 October 2011 convened a special cabinet meeting to approve the release of 1,027 Palestinians jailed in Israel in what became known in the country as the “Shalit Deal.”
Among those released were 280 prisoners serving life sentences for planning and perpetrating various terror attacks against Israeli targets. Then-Hamas military leader Ahmed Jabari confirmed to the Saudi-run Al-Hayat newspaper that, in total, the prisoners freed as part of the agreement were collectively responsible for the deaths of 569 Israeli civilians.
On 18 October, 2011, Gilad Shalit was transferred from Hamas to the care of representatives of the Egyptian government at the Rafah border crossing with the Sinai Peninsula.
After being inspected by international medical staff, he was then brought to Israel via the Kerem Shalom crossing, and was taken to a nearby army base.
Once an additional examination confirmed that Shalit’s health was stable, he spoke to his family by phone.
Shortly thereafter, Shalit was taken by helicopter to the Tel Nof military installation where he was welcomed by Netanyahu, then-defense minister Ehud Barak and then-IDF chief Benny Gantz, who together escorted him to family members.
“Shalom Gilad. It’s so good to have you home,” Netanyahu said when Shalit arrived.
For his part, Benny Gantz, who would go on to serve as Israel’s defense minister, wrote in an official letter to Shalit:
On behalf of all the soldiers, who bear responsibility for the security of the country, whether they serve on land, water, air, office or field, across the country, in their tanks, planes, or boats – on behalf of the entire IDF, I congratulate you and your family on coming back to us.”
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