This week marks 4 years since the tragic capture of Gilad Shalit. On June 25th 2006 Gilad Shalit was kidnapped when his unit was ambushed by Hamas terrorists: two other Israeli soldiers were killed. 4 years later Gilad Shalit is still in captivity and the pressure has been mounting on the Israeli government to exchange thousands of terrorists for his release. Gilad will celebrate his 23rd birthday inside a cell in Gaza, where 17% of his life has been lived.

The terror group that captured him are called Hamas, the ‘Islamic Resistance Movement in Palestine’ and associated with the terror group, Muslim Brotherhood founded in Egypt. The Hamas charter and ideology states that all Jews should be killed as part of the Islamic redemption

They are directly responsible for countless terror attacks during the first and second intifada that left scores of Israeli’s dead. When they gained control of Gaza in 2006 after a bloody cue, Hamas went to war with Fatah and squashed any political dissent, and murdered over 500 Palestinians.

There are two routes to freedom for Gilad Shalit. The first is that Israel gives into Hamas’ demands. The second is that the world unites in an effort to persuade Hamas to release Gilad Shalit unconditionally. Let’s take a closer look at the efficacy and ramifications of each.

If Israel gives into their demands it will empower Hamas to kidnap again and the price that Israel pays for one soldier may well set the price tag for future ransoms. In addition, such a deal would only further empower Hamas both at home and abroad. They would be seen as heroes in the Palestinian territories and likely be heavily favored in the next Palestinian elections.

That being said, there is every chance that as any deal approaches that Hamas will increase their demands.

The second scenario is for the world to make a concerted effort to pressure Hamas to release Gilad Shalit. This would require a worldwide consensus to completely isolate Hamas. Only then would the terror group start to feel the need to release Gilad Shalit without preconditions. There are already a few impediments for this scenario. Countries like Russia, Norway and Turkey fully recognize Hamas as a legitimate political party and many other countries in Europe have sent legislators to meet with Hamas. This diplomacy emboldens Hamas and does nothing to towards a solution.

In Israel the pressure has focused on the Israeli government to give in to Hamas’ demands i.e. go for scenario one. The Free Gilad Shalit movement organizes many rallies around the world. While some call for his unconditional release, the majority of rallies are centered on pressuring the Israeli government. So far this has been an unsuccessful strategy. After 4 years of captivity Gilad Shalit has yet to be visited by the International Red Cross, a direct violation of the 4th Geneva Convention.

If you believe in human rights, freedom and dignity you have a responsibility to do something for Gilad Shalit.

So what can you do to help?