April 18, 2012

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Former captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit has been released from the Israel Defense Forces.

Shalit was officially released, at the rank of sergeant-major, on Wednesday, six months after he was freed from Hamas captivity in Gaza.

Shalit signed his release forms at his home in Mitzpe Hila in northern Israel, in lieu of going to an IDF induction center, as part of an expedited administrative procedure, according to reports.

Shalit was held in Gaza for five years after being captured by Hamas in a cross-border raid in June 2006. He was released in October 2011 as part of a swap deal between Israel and Hamas in which nearly 500 Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli jails were released at the time of his freeing, and another 550 in December.

Following his release from Hamas captivity Shalit was classified as a disabled veteran; he received medical and psychological treatment from the military, and will continue to do so through the Ministry of Defense’s Disabled Rehabilitation Division, the Jerusalem Post reported.  .
 

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