Though the well-being and whereabouts of captive IDF soldier Gilad Shalit are still uncertain, a top Hamas figure arrested in association with his kidnapping will be freed on Sunday. Sheikh Naif Rajoub, brother of senior Fatah member Jibril Rajoub, was arrested by Israel in relation to the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit in June 2006. According to Arab sources, Rajoub will be released Sunday. He is one of less than 10 Hamas operatives detained by Israel in the wake of the Shalit kidnapping who is still in prison. Forty were arrested in 2006. Among the released terror leaders are top Hamas figure Mohammad Abu Tir, Palestinian Parliament Chairman Aziz Dweik, and former Prisoner Affairs Minister Wasfi Kabha. The four year anniversary of Shalit's kidnapping will occur on June 25, 2010. A 12-day hike from Mitzpe Hila, where the Shalit family lives, and the Prime Minister's residence in Jerusalem, will take part to mark the somber day. Gilad's father, Noam, who has been very active in attempts to secure the release of his son, recently announced that the Free Gilad Shalit campaign will be stepped up. He also accused the governments of Ehud Olmert and Binyamin Netanyahu of abandoning his son, saying they did not obey the IDF Code of Ethics which include the precept: never leave a soldier behind.
