From Wikipedia, with my comments in green:
Gilad Shalit (born 28 August, 1986) is a corporal in the Israel Defense Forces. He comes from Mitzpe Hila in the Western Galilee, and holds dual Israeli and French citizenship. Gilad is the first Israeli soldier captured by Palestinians since Nachson Wachsman in 1994. (Like the comet, Schwassmann-Wachsman, the name reminds me of WATCHMAN!)
Early on Sunday morning, June 25, 2006, Shalit was captured by Palestinian militants who attacked an army post in Israel after crossing the border from the Gaza Strip into Israel via an underground tunnel they dug near the Kerem Shalom crossing at the south Gaza Strip border. During the morning attack, two Israel Defense Force soldiers were killed and four others wounded, in addition to Shalit, who suffered a broken left hand and a light shoulder wound. Mohammed Abdel Al, a spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committees, revealed that the Kerem Shalom attack was being planned for almost two months.
Shalit's captors issued a statement on Monday, June 26, 2006, offering information about Shalit if Israel agrees to release all female Palestinian prisoners and all Palestinian prisoners under the age of 18.The statement came from Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades (the military wing of Palestinian governing party Hamas), the Popular Resistance Committees (which includes members of Fatah, Islamic Jihad and Hamas), and the Army of Islam.
On the 1st of July, the Palestinians issued another demand to the Israelis, asking them to free 1,000 Palestinian prisoners (in addition to all women and young prisoners) and end its Gaza assault. Two days later, they issued a 24-hour ultimatum for meeting their demands, threatening unspecified consequences if it refused. A few hours later, however, Israel officially rejected the ultimatum, stating: "there will be no negotiations to release prisoners."
Shalit's abduction has widely been reported to be the incident that triggered the current crisis, although other sources have pointed out that the day before, June 24, two Palestinian civilians, a doctor and his brother were abducted by the IDF in Al Shouka, near Rafah.
Immediately after the kidnapping, the papal nuncio to Israel, Archbishop Antonio Franco, attempted to secure the release of Shalit via the Catholic Church's Gaza-based parish, though without success.
Israeli forces entered Khan Yunis on June 28, 2006 to search for Shalit. According to David Siegel, a spokesman at the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C., "Israel did everything it could in exhausting all diplomatic options and gave Mahmoud Abbas the opportunity to return the kidnapped Israeli... This operation can be terminated immediately, conditioned on the release of Gilad Shalit".
On June 29, commander of the Israeli Southern Command, Aluf Yoav Galant, confirmed that Shalit remains in Gaza. Israel's Minister of Justice, Haim Ramon, added that Shalit is being held in southern Gaza, specifically. The military correspondent for the Israel Broadcasting Authority, has claimed that Shalit is currently being held captive in Rafah, and that there is indication that he is alive. IDF Spokesperson, Brigadier-General Miri Regev, stated that "we are not convinced he is being held in southern Gaza ... [only] that he is being held in Gaza".
On 1 July, the BBC reported that Shalit may have received medical attention, possibly for stomach and shoulder wounds. This has been subsequently denied by other Palestinians. Israeli govermental authorities have also threatened that the "sky will fall" if Shalit is harmed.
Look at this soldier, he is just a kid! Please pray for his safe return!
Gilad is the same name as Gilead, according to Strongs Concordance. Psalm 60 mentions this place, or person:
Psalm 60
1 O God, thou hast cast us off, thou hast scattered us, thou hast been displeased; O turn thyself to us again.
2 Thou hast made the earth to tremble; thou hast broken it: heal the breaches thereof; for it shaketh.
3 Thou hast shewed thy people hard things: thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment.
4 Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah.
5 That thy beloved may be delivered; save with thy right hand, and hear me.
6 God hath spoken in his holiness; I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth.
7 Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim also is the strength of mine head; Judah is my lawgiver;
8 Moab is my washpot; over Edom will I cast out my shoe: Philistia, triumph thou because of me.
9 Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into Edom?
10 Wilt not thou, O God, which hadst cast us off? and thou, O God, which didst not go out with our armies?
11 Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.
12Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.
Then there is this passage, which seems to indicate that Damascus will be destroyed because of Gilead:
Amos 1: 3-7:3 Thus saith Jehovah: For three transgressions of Damascus, yea, for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron: (This made me think the captors have been torturing or beating him.)4 but I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, and it shall devour the palaces of Ben-hadad.5 And I will break the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the valley of Aven, and him that holdeth the sceptre from the house of Eden; and the people of Syria shall go into captivity unto Kir, saith Jehovah.6 Thus saith Jehovah: For three transgressions of Gaza, yea, for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they carried away captive the whole people, to deliver them up to Edom:7 but I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza, and it shall devour the palaces thereof.8 And I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, and him that holdeth the sceptre from Ashkelon; and I will turn my hand against Ekron; and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish, saith the Lord Jehovah.9 Thus saith Jehovah: For three transgressions of Tyre, yea, for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they delivered up the whole people to Edom, and remembered not the brotherly covenant:10 but I will send a fire on the wall of Tyre, and it shall devour the palaces thereof.Interesting also is the fact that the next two soldiers were captured at the southern border of Lebanon, near Tyre!This morning I was reminded of the words of this old hymn, which is based on Jeremiah 8:22. This was going through my mind when I was thinking of this brave young soldier, and a dear friend sent me the words as she was also thinking the same thing:"There is a balm in GileadTo make the wounded whole,There is a balm in GileadTo heal the sin-sick soul."