It's been four years since Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and killed two Israeli soldiers and captured Gilad Shalit. The two Israeli soldiers killed were Lt. Hanan Barak, 20, of Arad and Staff-Sgt. Pavel Slutzker, 20, of Dimona. They were attacked by a Hamas cell that infiltrated into Israel through a tunnel originating from the Rafah area, passing under the security fence to the area between the Kerem Shalom and Sufa crossings. The terrorists, operating under cover of mortar and anti-tank fire from within the Gaza Strip, attacked an armored personnel carrier, an IDF tank and a watchtower. IDF forces returned fire, killing at least two terrorists. Shalit was captured in that raid.
Shalit has been held for the past four years somewhere in Gaza and Hamas refuses to provide humanitarian aid groups any access for fear that it might tip Israel off as to his whereabouts.
The reason for Shalit's capture - and that Hamas infiltration operation was simple. Hamas wanted to trade Shalit's life for the release of hundreds of Palestinian terrorists sitting in Israeli jails.
Last year, Hamas and Israel agreed to the early release of several hundred Palestinians in exchange for video showing that Shalit was still alive. That was a propaganda victory for Hamas, who gets to trot out the prisoners to cheering adulation and big crowds that call for Israel's downfall.
Little has changed in the past year with regards of Shalit other than he's a year older and another year in captivity. Hamas refuses to release Shalit unless Israel releases hundreds or thousands of Palestinians, which is suicidal for Israel to contemplate. Hamas will not release Shalit as a humanitarian aid gesture so as to induce Israel to reduce its blockade against Gaza because it would lose its primary pawn in its ongoing war against Israel.
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