Shalit marks 6th birthday in Hamas captivity

Dozens of supporters including Gilad Shalit's parents protested outside the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem to mark the soldier's 25th birthday. It is the sixth birthday Gilad Shalit has marked since he was taken captive in June 2006 and forced to Gaza where he has been held ever since his capture. "Netanyahu, a birthday present for Gilad -- his life back," a sign held by Shalit's mother Aviva said. "Netanyahu you don't have a mandate to kill Gilad," a sign held by the soldier's father Noam read. Shalit's grandfather Tzvi said since Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was elected the situation has worsened. He accused the government of not doing enough to free Gilad. Last month Hamas said progress had been made on talks to bring about the soldier's release, but said Egyptian mediated talks in Cairo had failed to bring about any real breakthrough.