Gilad Shalit is being freed, five years after being captured by Hamas militants. When we were in Israel this year, we frequently saw pictures of Gilad, such as this one that was painted on the side of a building near our apartment. Gilad's family set up a booth outside the Prime Minister's house a few blocks from where we lived, in an attempt to draw more attention to Gilad and their desire to free him. Now, a deal has been reached to exchange Gilad for more than 1,027 Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli jails.
When he was captured, Gilad was a soldier in the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces). Israeli citizens, most at age 18, are required to serve in the IDF. Men serve for a mandatory three years, women for two. Gilad had been in military service for just under a year when he was captured.
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