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.
