Incident Summary:

06/25/2006: Two Israeli soldiers were killed at an Israeli Defense Force (IDF) post in the Gaza Strip and one soldier, Staff Sergeant Gilad Shalit, was taken hostage. Hamas, the Popular Resistance Committees, and a group called Army of Islam claimed responsibility for the attack. Hamas claims the attack was in response to Israeli crimes of killing women and children and assassinating militant leaders. On October 17, 2011 Shalit was released by Hamas in exchange for the release of over 1,000 political prisoners from Israeli jails.

GTD ID:
200606250001

When:
2006-06-25

Country:
Israel

Region:
Middle East & North Africa

Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:

Southern

City:
Kerem Shalom

Attack Information
Type of Attack (more) Armed Assault
Type of Attack (more) Hostage Taking (Kidnapping)
Successful Attack? (more) Yes
Target Information (more)
Target Type: Military
Name of Entity Israeli Defense Force
Specific Description soldiers
Nationality of Target Israel
Additional Information
Hostages Yes
Number of Hostages 1
US Hostages 0
Days of Kidnapping 1941
Outcome Hostage(s) released by perpetrators
Ransom No
Property Damage Yes
Extent of Property Damage Minor (likely < $1 million)
Value of Property Damage Unknown
Weapon Information
Type Sub-type
Explosives Projectile (rockets, mortars, RPGs, etc.)
Firearms Automatic Weapon
Explosives Unknown Explosive Type
Weapon Details
Militants fired an anti-tank missile, blew up an APC and threw grenades during the attack at the Kerem Shalom crossing.
Additional Information
Suicide Attack?No
Part of Multiple Incident?No
Criterion 1 (more) Yes
Criterion 2 (more) Yes
Criterion 3 (more) No
Doubt Terrorism Proper (more) Yes
Alternate Designation (more) Insurgency/Guerilla Action
Perpetrator Group Information
Group Name Claimed Responsibility
Hamas (Islamic Resistance Movement) Yes (Confirmed: Unknown; Mode: Posted to website, blog, etc.)
Perpetrator Statistics
Number of Perpetrators Unknown
Number of Captured Perpetrators 2
Casualty Information
Total Number of Casualties 6 Fatalities / 4 Injured
Total Number of Fatalities 6
Number of U.S. Fatalities 0
Number of Perpetrator Fatalities 4
Total Number of Injured 4
Number of U.S. Injured 0
Number of Perpetrators Injured Unknown
Sources
“Raid on IDF Post Leaves 2 Dead, 1 Kidnapped” Middle East- OCS Report. June 25, 2006.
“Israeli Soldier Swapped for Hundreds of Palestinians” The New York Times. October 18, 2011.
Heller, Aron. "Palestinian militants infiltrate Israel, attack Israeli army post, kill two Israelis, capture third," Associated Press Worldstream, June 25, 2006.