Gilad Shalit

Friday's disappearance of an Israeli soldier, apparently captured in Gaza, has echoes of the June 2006 seizure of conscript Gilad Shalit who was held by Palestinian militants for five years.

Israeli security forces have arrested 10 more Palestinians in the West Bank as they press their search for three teenagers believed to have been kidnapped, the army said Saturday.

The armed wing of Islamic Hamas movement has admitted being behind the recently discovered tunnel leading from Gaza into Israel.

Israel on Sunday froze the shipment of building materials into Gaza after discovering a sophisticated "terror tunnel" into the Jewish state from the Palestinian territory, a defence official said.

The five-year ordeal of Israel's abducted soldier Gilad Shalit came to an end on Tuesday as his captors, Hamas militants, handed him over to Egyptian authorities, bringing huge relief to the Jewish state.

A prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas began on Tuesday with the first of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners being released from jails as part of a landmark deal that will see captured soldier Gilad Shalit return home.

The list of 450 Palestinian men and 27 women was published by the justice ministry on the website of the Israel Prisons Service, to give the public 48 hours to lodge any legal appeals against the deal which will see the return of Shalit, who has spent more than five years in captivity.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel had recently renewed contacts with a German mediator to negotiate the release of a captured Israeli soldier, Staff Sgt. Gilad Shalit, who is being held by Hamas."We are working all the time and in various ways to try to bring Gilad back," Mr. Netanyahu told Israel's Army Radio. "One of those...

Friday's disappearance of an Israeli soldier, apparently captured in Gaza, has echoes of the June 2006 seizure of conscript Gilad Shalit who was held by Palestinian militants for five years.

Israeli security forces have arrested 10 more Palestinians in the West Bank as they press their search for three teenagers believed to have been kidnapped, the army said Saturday.

The armed wing of Islamic Hamas movement has admitted being behind the recently discovered tunnel leading from Gaza into Israel.

Israel on Sunday froze the shipment of building materials into Gaza after discovering a sophisticated "terror tunnel" into the Jewish state from the Palestinian territory, a defence official said.

The five-year ordeal of Israel's abducted soldier Gilad Shalit came to an end on Tuesday as his captors, Hamas militants, handed him over to Egyptian authorities, bringing huge relief to the Jewish state.

A prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas began on Tuesday with the first of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners being released from jails as part of a landmark deal that will see captured soldier Gilad Shalit return home.

The list of 450 Palestinian men and 27 women was published by the justice ministry on the website of the Israel Prisons Service, to give the public 48 hours to lodge any legal appeals against the deal which will see the return of Shalit, who has spent more than five years in captivity.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel had recently renewed contacts with a German mediator to negotiate the release of a captured Israeli soldier, Staff Sgt. Gilad Shalit, who is being held by Hamas."We are working all the time and in various ways to try to bring Gilad back," Mr. Netanyahu told Israel's Army Radio. "One of those...