2023-10-10 14:47:07
Middle East conflict
Hamas holds over 150 hostages – only one was ever released alive
Hamas demands the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Israeli hostages. In 2011, Gilad Shalit was released from the clutches of Hamas – once morest 1,027 Palestinians imprisoned.
Published10. October 2023, 4:47 p.m
On June 25, 2006, Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was abducted by Hamas members to an unknown location in Gaza.
REUTERS
Shalit on a Hamas poster. He was held by Hamas for five years.
Wikipedia/Tom Spender/CC BY
Negotiations for a prisoner exchange were ongoing. The sympathy was great – even beyond national borders.
Wikipedia/Dana Bondarenko, Sergey Gavrilov/CC BY-SA 3.0
Shalit calls his parents on October 18, 2011 following returning to Israel.
Wikipedia/Israel Defense Forces/CC BY-SA
Only following five years, on October 28, 2011, Shalit was able to return to Israel. In exchange, 1,027 Palestinian prisoners were released from Israeli prisons.
REUTERS
Gilad Shalit was the first Israeli soldier in 26 years to emerge alive from Palestinian captivity.
Wikipedia/Israel Defense Forces/CC BY-SA
Among the 1,027 prisoners released was Yahya Sinwar, who now leads Hamas in Gaza.
Wikipedia/Bilal Dweik/CC BY-SA 3.0
Hamas has over 150 hostages in its control.
According to an expert, the chances of hostage negotiations are slim. However, it is likely that Israel will launch a military offensive.
In 2006, Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was kidnapped by Hamas. Negotiations on a prisoner exchange took five years.
Schalit was only released in 2011. In exchange, 1,027 Palestinian inmates were released from Israeli prisons.
Schalit was the first Israeli in 26 years to escape alive from Palestinian captivity.
According to Israeli information, they… extremist group Hamas and other militant Islamist groups more than 150 hostages in their power. Most recently, they called for the release of 36 imprisoned Palestinian women in Israel in exchange for the handover of older, kidnapped Israeli women.
However, according to Peter Neumann, professor of security studies at King’s College in London, the chances of negotiations are “very, very slim,” as he tells SRF. The Israelis wouldn’t want to get involved. We know from past experience that hostage negotiations sometimes last for years. “I think that neither Hamas nor the Israelis have the patience for this at the moment,” Neumann continues.
Thousands of prisoners once morest one hostage
On the other hand, there is a very high chance that Israel will launch a military offensive to free the hostages. “I think there is a lot of pressure on the Israelis to demonstrate that they can free these people without making any compromises with Hamas.”
In the past, Israel was certainly willing to negotiate. “They were even willing to exchange just one soldier from the Israeli side for thousands of prisoners on the Palestinian side.” Neumann is probably referring to the case of the Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit, who was kidnapped as a hostage by Hamas in 2006 and was only released five years later in exchange for the release of over 1,000 arrested Palestinians.
Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit is taken hostage
On June 25, 2006, members of Hamas attacked an Israeli military post near the Gaza border. The aim was to kidnap a soldier alive. Two Israelis were killed and four others were injured in the action. Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was taken hostage to an unknown location in the Gaza Strip.
Three days later, Israeli military troops entered the Gaza Strip to search for the abductee. Repeated military operations followed, but Schalit might not be freed.
Negotiations on prisoner exchanges have been ongoing for years
In exchange for information regarding the hostage’s fate, Hamas demanded the release of 1,000 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons and the cessation of the operation in Gaza. Israel rejected the demands.
It was not until 2011 – five years following Shalit’s kidnapping – that Israel and Hamas agreed on a prisoner exchange. For the release of Gilad Shalit, 1,000 male and 27 female Palestinian prisoners were released. According to the Israeli government, these were responsible for the deaths of 569 Israelis.
Many of the 1,027 prisoners released immediately returned to Hamas fighters. Among them was Yahya Sinwar, who now leads Hamas in Gaza.
Escaping from Hamas – an isolated case
On October 28, 2011, Shalit was handed over to Egypt and was allowed to return to Israel from there. He was the first Israeli soldier in 26 years to be released alive from Palestinian captivity. There have been no returnees in later kidnapping cases either.
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