Oct 11 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas had signed a deal for the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was captured by militants from the Gaza Strip in 2006.
Below are some facts about Shalit:
- The fresh-faced, bespectacled corporal, a tank gunner, was captured on June 25, 2006, by militants who tunnelled their way out of Gaza and then forced him back over the border.
- Shalit, promoted to sergeant since his capture, was 19 at the time and had begun his mandatory three-year army service nearly a year earlier.
- Shalit also holds French citizenship through his family, who live in a small village in northern Israel.
- Schoolfriends say Shalit was a shy, gifted student with a passion for computers, physics and sports.
- The last sign of life received from the soldier was a videotape released by his captors in September 2009 showing Shalit, pale and thin, pleading for his life. He has not had any visits from the International Committee of the Red Cross.
- Shalit was the first Israeli soldier to be kidnapped by Palestinian militants since 1994, when Hamas gunmen abducted Corporal Nachshon Wachsman. Wachsman, two of his captors and an Israeli special forces officer died in a rescue attempt.
- Shalit's family and friends have kept his plight in the spotlight. They set up a protest tent outside the prime minister's office in Jerusalem and Shalit's face is emblazoned on car bumper stickers across the country. (Created by Crispian Balmer; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
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