Gilad Shalit (Hebrew: גלעד שליט‎, born 28 August 1986) is an Israeli soldier who was captured on 25 June 2006 by Palestinian militants in a cross-border raid. He was abducted through the Kerem Shalom crossing (in Israel), and has been held as a prisoner in the Gaza Strip by Hamas since. Shalit, 19 years old at the time of his capture, held the rank of corporal in the IDF's Armor Corps at the time of his abduction, but has since been promoted to staff sergeant.