Israel Marks 5 Years Since Capture of Shalit

Hundreds of Israelis gathered near the Gaza border on Saturday at the site where Palestinian militants seized Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in a deadly raid five years ago.

The protest was being held to mark five years that Shalit has been in captivity and comes amid mounting international calls for the Islamist Hamas movement to release him or at least provide proof of life.

At Kerem Shalom, near where Shalit was captured in a deadly cross-border raid on June 25, 2006 by militants from three Gaza-based groups, hundreds gathered calling for his release.

Organizers read out a letter from his grandfather Zvi Shalit which blamed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for refusing to agree to a prisoner swap deal with Hamas to secure Shalit's release.

"It is clear to us that the prime minister, in his refusal to compromise, is gambling daily with the life of my grandson and endangering him," the letter said.

Hundreds more paid a visit to a protest tent where Shalit's parents have been living for the past year outside Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem.

French Ambassador to Israel Christophe Bigot was due to visit the tent later Saturday and present Aviva and Noam Shalit with a letter from French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Shalit also holds French nationality.

Later, 24 Israeli celebrities were to take turns to enter a tiny dark cell for an hour for a symbolic protest calling for a prisoner swap between Israel and Hamas that would secure Shalit's freedom.

"The message is: yes to a deal, no to indifference. Gilad has to be returned home," said a statement from the organizers of the event called the Gilad Shalit project, which was to be filmed live and broadcast on Facebook.

In Gaza City, Hamas organized a ceremony of their own.

They erected a fake jail cell and had someone dress up as Shalit in an Israeli army uniform. A cake with five flowers, to indicate the five years of his captivity was placed in front of him.

A loudspeaker played a voice recording of Shalit pleading with Netanyahu to free him. The recording was taken from a video -- the last proof that he was still alive -- released in October 2009.

A banner over the cell said: "The Red Cross asked for the release of Shalit, but we are asking the Red Cross if it has heard of the 7,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails."

Hamas's military wing the al-Qassam Brigades issued a statement on their website saying Shalit "would not see the light of day" until the Palestinian prisoners were released.

The anniversary has been marked by growing international calls on Hamas to free Shalit after five years in captivity.

"During this time, Hamas has held him hostage without access by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in violation of the standards of basic decency and international humanitarian demands," White House spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement.

"The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms his continued detention, and joins other governments and international organizations around the world in calling on Hamas to release him immediately."

U.N. leader Ban Ki-moon called for Shalit's "immediate release," and asked Hamas "to protect his life, treat him humanely, prove that he is alive and allow the Shalit family to have contact with their son."

In Paris, the authorities installed a portrait of Shalit in front of city hall to mark the fifth anniversary of his capture.

On Friday, Israeli, Palestinian and international human rights groups issued a joint statement calling on Gaza militants to end the "inhumane" treatment of Shalit.

Netanyahu said Thursday that in response to Hamas's continuing refusal to allow ICRC visits to Shalit, he had instructed the Israel Prisons Service to curtail privileges granted to Palestinian prisoners held for security offenses.

Shalit was 19 when he was captured.