Israelis protest to mark Gilad Schalit's sixth birthday in Hamas captivity

Israelis protest to mark Gilad Schalit's sixth birthday in Hamas captivity

2011-08-29 07:17:18 GMT+7 (ICT)

JERUSALEM (BNO NEWS) -- Dozens of Israelis on Sunday gathered outside the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to mark the sixth birthday of Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit while being held captive by Hamas, the Haaretz newspaper reported.

On June 25, 2006, Shalit, who turned 25 on Sunday, was abducted by Hamas militants and has been held in captivity ever since. His family has been trying to contact him without avail.

Demonstrators chanted slogans outside Netanyahu's office to demand Shalit's release and carried large signs criticizing the prime minister as cabinet ministers arrived for their weekly meeting. Shalit's mother, Aviva, held up a sign proclaiming "Netanyahu - a birthday present for Gilad - his life back."

Last December, Israel and Hamas apparently reached a deal for the release of Shalit, but the agreement never came about. Since then, negotiations for his release as part of a prisoner swap between Israel and the Palestinian movement have dragged on.

Hamas is demanding that Israel free 1,000 Palestinians held in its jails in return for Shalit. Negotiations, however, are floundering over the release of several older Palestinian militants who Israel says are behind some of the worst attacks.

Netanyahu said in June that Israel had accepted a German-mediated proposal for a prisoner swap with Hamas, but received no reply from the organization. Days later, Hamas said the two sides had reached a "joint understanding" but that Netanyahu had backed out, according to the newspaper.

Since Shalit's capture, the only signs of life have been three letters, an audio tape released a year after he was taken, and a brief video broadcast on October 2, 2009.

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