Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was held for more than five years by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Members of Hamas and other militant groups captured Shalit on June 25, 2006 during a cross-border raid from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel. The raiders killed two other Israeli soldiers, while Israeli troops killed two of the infiltrators.
The Palestinian militants returned to Gaza with Shalit as prisoner, who at the time was a 19-year old Israeli army conscript.
Hamas, which took control of Gaza in 2007, demanded that Israel free hundreds of imprisoned Palestinians in exchange for Shalit. Israel objected to demands for the release of some prisoners convicted of deadly attacks against Israelis. But in the end, some of these prisoners were included in the exchange.
Negotiations through intermediaries stalled several times as Shalit's family continued an international public relations campaign to get him freed. The soldiers' parents led a 12-day march through Israel, then erected a tent outside the prime minister's office in June 2010 where supporters camped out until last week.
Shalit's abductors blocked the International Committee of the Red Cross from having access to him during his captivity. Fears mounted in Israel that the soldier was killed in custody.
Proof that Shalit was alive came in October 2009, when Hamas gave Israel a video showing him reading a statement while holding up a Gaza newspaper dated September 14, 2009. He appeared to be in good health. Israel released about 20 female Palestinian prisoners in return for the video.
Egypt was deeply involved in trying to mediate a prisoner swap between Israel and Hamas. German mediators were also involved.
Then-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert pushed for a deal in 2009. But, the talks broke down apparently over Hamas' rejection of Israel's insistence that some Palestinian prisoners would be deported rather than released into the West Bank and Gaza.
Last week, Israel and Hamas – with Egypt's help – agreed to exchange 1,027 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the one soldier. Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said there are security risks from the deal, but that Israel has a national duty to bring its soldiers home.
