has been working to free the soldier and ramped up their efforts during the current holy month of Ramadan . Noam Shalit , the soldier 's father , recently appealed directly to Palestinians in Gaza to put pressure on their Hamas leadership for a prisoner swap during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan , which ends September 9 . The father has repeated his stance that the Israeli government should release 1,000 prisoners , including 450 whose release Hamas has demanded in exchange for his son . He has been holding a vigil outside the home of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since early July , when he led a march to his doorstep to support a prisoner exchange as a way to release his son . This Ramadan is different than the previous four , Shalit said , because there is now a deal that was put on the table at the beginning of the year by a German mediator . `` If the two sides of the conflict show some flexibility , it will be possible to make an agreement , '' Shalit said . Such an agreement , Shalit said , would benefit thousands of Palestinian families
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Britain on Saturday demanded the release of Gilad Shalit as the Israeli soldier marked his 24th birthday in Hamas ' captivity . `` The thoughts of many in Britain are with Gilad Shalit and his family , '' the Foreign Office said . `` His detention is unjustifiable and unacceptable . The British Government demands his immediate and unconditional release . '' Shalit has been held captive since June 25 , 2006 , when Palestinian militants from Gaza captured him . The militants had tunneled into Israel and attacked an Israeli army outpost near the Gaza-Israel-Egypt border , killing two soldiers in the assault . Israel immediately launched a military incursion into Gaza to rescue Shalit , then 19 , but failed to free him . Since being imprisoned by Hamas , Shalit has not been allowed any contact with the outside world , nor any visits by the Red Cross . Details of his incarceration and physical condition remain unknown . In October 2009 , Hamas released a tape of Shalit as a proof of life , in which he urged the Israeli government to do more for his safe release . Shalit 's family